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A PROJECT CURRICULUM 

DEALING WITH THE PROJECT AS A MEANS 

OF ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM OF THE 

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 



BY 

MARGARET ELIZABETH WELLS 

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE 

DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE FACULTY OF 

PHILOSOPHY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 




PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON 
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 



A PROJECT CURRICULUM 

DEALING WITH THE PROJECT AS A MEANS 

OF ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM OF THE 

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 



IS^O 



BY 

MARGARET ELIZABETH WELLS 

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE 

DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE FACULTY OF 

PHILOSOPHY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 



PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON 
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COAIPANY 






COPYRIGHT, 192 1, BY J, B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 









PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 

AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS 

PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The following student teachers in the State Normal 
School at Trenton, N. J., during 1918-1919, deserve special 
mention for their untiring work, which resulted in definite 
contributions to the development of this experiment : Miss 
Lillian Buchanan, Miss Grace Covey, Miss Marion Gagg, 
Miss Catherine Gribbins, Miss Edith Margerum, Miss 
Lillian Martenis, Miss Lina Markert, Miss Marian 
Schneider, Miss Winifred Stuart, Miss Bertha Swain, 
Miss Emma Veale. 

To Dr. J. J. Savitz, Principal of the State Normal 
School, who permitted the experiment to be carried on 
there ; to Miss Kate D. Stout, Supervisor of Training, who 
cheerfully made many necessary and troublesome adjust- 
ments; to Dr. Frank M. McMurry, of Teachers College, 
Columbia University, who encouraged the author to make 
this report of the results of the experiment ; to Dr. William 
A. McCall and Dr. William C. Bagley, both of Teachers 
College, who made suggestive criticisms, and to Dr. 
Frederick G. Bonser, who as her principal in the Speyer 
School of 1912-1913 sowed the seed, and as her major 
professor during 191 9-1 920 helped her to prepare the 
harvest; to one and all of these, the author desires to 
express her heartfelt gratitude. 

To her devoted friend. Miss H. Mary Cushman, who 
was most helpful in many phases of the experiment itself 
and who has rendered invaluable service in the careful 
editing and indexing of this report, she now publicly offers 
her thanks. 



CREDIT FOR QUOTATIONS 

The extracts from The Curriculum by Franklin Bobbitt 
and from Moral Principles of Education by John Dewey 
are used by permission of, and by special arrangement 
with, Houghton Mifflin Company. The quotation from 
Elementary School Standards by Frank F. McMurry, 
copyright 19 13, by World Book Company, Yonkers-on- 
Hudson, N. Y., is used by permission of the publishers. 
Quotations are made, by permission, from Schools of To- 
morrow by John and Evelyn Dewey, copyright 191 5, by 
E. P. Dutton and Company. The quotations from My 
Pedagogic Creed by John Dewey and from The Demands 
of Sociology upon Pedagogy by Albion W. Small are used 
by permission of the publishers, A. Flanagan Company. 

By the courtesy of A. and C. Black, Ltd., and George 
Allen and Unwin, Ltd., both of London, England, quota- 
tions are made from Studies in Education by M. W. 
Keatinge and from The Child and the Curriculum by 
C. J. Dodd. 

Prof. E. L. Thorndike of Teachers College, Columbia 
University, and Mr. A. Flexner of the Rockefeller General 
Education Board, have sanctioned the use of the quotations 
from their writings. The University of Chicago Press 
has granted permission to quote from The Child and the 
Curriculum by John Dewey and from the dissertation of 
Miss Lilla Estelle Appleton on A Comparative Study of 
the Play Activities of Adult Savages and Civilised Chil- 
dren. The latter being out of print, the quotations were 
made from a typed pamphlet of extracts in Bryson Library, 
Teachers College. The selections from Dewey's Democracy 
and Education and Bagley's Educative Process are used 
by permission of The Macmillan Company, Publishers. 



FOREWORD 

There are many interpretations of the project method. 
Miss Wells has made and developed one interpretation 
which lays emphasis upon the selection of a major project 
for each grade of the elementary school, large enough to 
provide a basis for most of the work of that grade through- 
out the year. Within each major project arise minor 
projects related to the major purpose and providing the 
immediate activities which make up the daily work of the 
respective grades. 

The hope of progress in education lies in experimen- 
tation by which any means offering reasonably possible 
improvement may be tested and evaluated. Miss Wells 
has gone forward with the application of her interpreta- 
tion of the project method to the extent of developing its 
details for the full work of the first three grades, and 
indicating in general outline the work for the fourth, 
fifth, and sixth grades. Children in the first three grades 
have been taught under this plan of organization. 

The outcomes of the work as developed are checked 
up in terms of the subject matter as usually organized 
under the subjects of study. Measured by this form of 
checking, there seems to be quite as much of arithmetic, 
geography, reading, writing, and other regular subjects 
covered as under the usual organization. The units of 
these subjects are taken up in situations which naturally 
call for them, giving them a sense of immediate worth. 
In addition to this, there are many elements of subject 
matter and many forms of desirable activities represented 
which are not usually found when the respective subjects 
are presented in the formal way. As far as the testing 
of the work by this method goes to show its values, there 

vii 



viii FOREWORD 

is no loss by comparison with the outcomes of work as 
usually presented, and there is decided gain in the out- 
comes not found at all in the usual formal work of 
these grades. 

Few who have not attempted an organization of school 
work on the basis of large projects followed by appro- 
priate minor projects growing out of the larger will 
appreciate what a prodigious amount of time and effort 
is required to develop such a volume of teaching material 
as is here presented by Miss Wells. 

From the most progressive educational literature of 
today, there is a careful selection of references offered to 
support the principles, given in Sections II and III, upon 
which the general plan is based. These principles lay 
stress upon the more significant psychological and social 
aspects of education, and endeavor to combine them by 
consistent unification in applications that are practicable. 

Whether teachers adopt the suggested organization 
as a whole, or attempt to use but individual units of its 
detailed parts in the enrichment of their work, the book 
should prove decidedly stimulating and helpful. It sug- 
gests many ways of connecting the life interests and en- 
vironing activities of children with the subject matter of 
the school studies as usually organized. Even in a school 
in which the teachers must follow rather mechanically 
organized courses of study, there is room for the intro- 
duction of much vitalizing activity to awaken greater 
interest and contribute larger social meaning for the work 
required. The detailed projects here developed will offer 
many helpful suggestions which teachers working 
under such limitations may follow with interest, profit, 
and satisfaction. 

Among elementary school teachers everywhere, this 
book should help to stimulate and direct interest to the 
needs and possibilities of humanizing and socializing the 



FOREWORD ix 

formal organization of the school subjects. In the meas- 
ure in which her work and its presentation may lead 
teachers to introduce larger elements of the wholesome, 
purposeful, social activities of children into the schools 
as a vital part of their courses of study, Miss Wells has 
made a contribution to the improvement of the elementary 
school. May this measure be large! 

Frederick G. Bonser. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Foreword, by P. G. Bonser, Ph.D vii 

Introduction i 

Section I — The Curriculum as Worked Out in Trenton, N. J. 

A. The Introductory Project — Playing Fair 3 

B. The Major Projects 

I. INTRODUCTION l6 

II, FIRST GRADE MAJOR PROJECT — Playing Families 20 

III. SECOND GRADE MAJOR PROJECT — Playing Store 71 

IV. THIRD GRADE MAJOR PROJECT — Playing City 98 

Section II — Theses Underlying This Curriculum and an 

Evaluation of Each 135 

Section III — Guiding Principles in Curriculum Making .... 202 

Section IV — The Outcomes of Curriculums, in Facts Taught, 
IN Skills Begun, in Habits, Attitudes, 
Appreciations, Ideals 229 

Appendix — Specimens of Children's Work 281 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGE 



Good Children Street Poster 46 

Good Children Street — The Frame and Pebble-dash House and the 
Stone House 54 

Good Children Street — The Cement, the Brick, and the Frame 
House 56 

The Second Grade's Department Store 74 

The Store Window Poster 78 

Victory City — ^A Miniature Trenton 114 

A Scene in the Closing Pageant 132 

The School as a Sector of Life (Chart) 154 



A PROJECT CURRICULUM 

INTRODUCTION 

The immediate problems of education are those of 
curriculum making and curriculum use. What shall the 
normal child be taught? How shall he be taught? 

The conservatives still cling — some of them uncon- 
sciously — to the doctrine of formal discipline. The pro- 
gressives think and practice freedom in its various 
conceptions and misconceptions. 

But is there not a middle way, the common-sense way, 
which bases its method, first, on a knowledge of child 
nature; second, on the demands which hfe — that of the 
child as well as that of the adult — makes on the individ- 
ual ? All educators agree that the child is one of the two 
essential factors in education. Most of them name the 
curriculum as the second ; but the writer contends that this 
is true only when the curriculum satisfies these demands 
of life. 

The following study attempts the formulation of a 
curriculum which shall answer life's demands because it is 
life, and its administration permits the child to live in 
the school as naturally and as wholly as he lives out of it. 

Proofs that this curriculum is sound in theory are 
given in Sections II and III. That it is practicable is 
evidenced by the fact that it " worked " in the first three 
grades of the Training School of a State Normal School, 
under serious handicaps. The teachers in each grade were 
inexperienced and, being students in training, were 
changed every ten weeks or of tener. The writer, as super- 
visor of these three grades, was responsible also for the 
teaching of two large classes of normal students daily for 

1 



2 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

a part of the year, and for the remainder shared in the 
supervision of practice teaching out in the state, so that 
she was frequently absent from all three rooms for hours 
at a time, and sometimes for whole days. 

That the curriculum, even under these adverse con- 
ditions, accomplished as much as the traditional elemen- 
tary school — and more than this — appears in Section IV. 
The conditions of the experiment were such that exact 
scientific measurements were not possible. Indeed, for 
many of its most valuable results scales of measurement 
have not yet been devised. It is the hope of the writer 
that the time, the place, and the means may speedily 
conjoin for trying out the curriculum here formulated, 
under the more typical conditions of a more normal ele- 
mentary school, in all the six grades, and that some one 
may then be inspired to apply the method of statistical 
inquiry, both in theory and in practice, to this repetition 
of the experiment. 



SECTION I 

THE CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN 
TRENTON, N. J. 

A. INTRODUCTORY PROJECT PLAYING " FAIR " 

At the opening of school, in order to establish coopera- 
tive relationships among the children of the three grades 
for the supervision of which the writer was directly 
responsible, " playing Fair " was used as the unifying 
project. This choice was suggested by the N. J. State 
Fair which was held at Trenton early in September. 
School was closed one day for this gala event, every child 
receiving a free ticket. Of course, practically every child 
used this ticket, so here was a common experience. The 
following day the teacher called a general assembly of 
the three grades and allowed the children to tell of their 
experiences. There was a very free discussion, for the 
children were full to overflowing. Many things could not 
be easily expressed verbally, so the children were invited 
to show in any way they could what they had seen. This 
led to drawing pictures, making diagrams or ground- 
plans, acting out scenes in an impromptu dramatization, 
and the suggestion by the children that they could make 
a race track, a Ferris wheel, etc. Response was general 
and spirited. When interest ran highest the teacher seized 
the opportunity to say, " You make me feel that I am 
spending another day at the Fair. How many of your 
mothers and fathers, your sisters or brothers, were 
there ? " Not many had been, for most of the children 
were from poor families. 

" Since you have ' played Fair ' so well for me this 
morning, how could you give your mothers a chance 
to go? " 

3 



4 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

" Play it for them." 

" If you can work out a good fair, we'll let your 
mothers and any others of your family who want to come, 
spend a whole half day at our Fair," 

The next question, " How can you do this? " opened 
up a discussion of ways and means. Of course so general 
a question brought forth very miscellaneous suggestions. 
To meet the need for organized work on the problems, 
the teacher asked such questions as : 

"Why do states, counties, etc., have fairs?" ("To 
show the best things they can raise." " To make more 
people want to raise these things.") 

" What things are needed for a fair? " (Lists made 
on the board, of suggestions growing out of the experi- 
ences of their day at the Fair.) 

" How can we get these? " (" Make them." " Col- 
lect from school garden." "Bring from home.") 

" How shall we run the Fair? " (Committees needed ; 
work of each ; badges for committees. ) 

" Where shall we hold it? " (A note to Dr. Savitz, 
the Principal, asking where the Training School Fair 
might be placed. ) 

" How advertise it? " (Posters needed.) 

"What shall the work of each grade be?" (Each 
grade decided to choose at a later meeting what it wanted 
to do, its suggestions being submitted to the committees in 
charge, and to the teacher, who judged mainly from the 
standpoint of ability. ) 

I. THE WORK OF THE FIRST GRADE 

The next day the question, "Why have fairs?" 
introduced in the first grade a review of the points brought 
out in the assembly. 

" Now, what can we do, in this room, to help make 
this a fine Fair? " 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 5 

After a spirited discussion, the grade voted to furnish 
animals, flowers, vegetables and fruits, a peanut stand, a 
side show and a merry-go-round, tickets for both these 
attractions, and signs to indicate the location on the fair- 
grounds of all the features supplied by this grade. 

(a) Animals. — In the discussion of " fair " animals, 
the domestic varieties were emphasized. The selection 
of these for the exhibit provided opportunity for some 
study of the cow, the pig, the sheep, the horse, the hen, 
the duck. But the children strongly desired tO' have some 
wild animals there also; so these were introduced, as 
a menagerie. 

The art work took the form of drawing and cutting 
animal forms. But the children's attempts to do this in 
a free way did not satisfy their own standards of " prize " 
animals, and they gladly accepted the suggestion of tracing 
the outlines from large models. Cardboard was used 
as a material not too hard for them to cut, yet firm enough 
to stand when the little back support for each figure was 
attached. The children were allowed to color the animals 
as well as to trace and cut them ; they also cut out the little 
" props " and pasted them on.' Some animals were 
modeled in clay by all of the grade, and the best of these 
were kept for the Fair. 

(b) Flowers. — A study of fall flowers comprised: 

1. Naming the flowers in the school garden and those 
brought from home or from the fields and woods. 

2. Teaching and encouraging the children to take care 
of these flowers so as to keep them in good condition to 
exhibit at the Fair. 

3. Drawing, coloring, cutting out, and moxmting paper 
flowers, the best to be kept for the Fair. The children were 
so enthusiastic in this work that they made enough sun- 
flowers to form a hedge around the room. They gathered 
all the sunflower heads from the school garden as they 



6 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

ripened and saved the seed, so as to make sure of sun- 
flowers for next year's first grade. 

In connection with this flower study, the myth, 
" Clytie's garden," was given. In a very simplified form 
it was written on the blackboard and printed on oak tag, 
with a " price-and-sign-marker," to form a chart. Later 
it was copied in the children's readers (the " Family 
Books " described on page 23) as a good story :^or them 
to read to their mothers and fathers. In addition to this 
varied use of the myth, the children worked out a sand- 
table representation of it. 

(c) Vegetables and Fruits. — The children recalled the 
kinds of these which they had seen at the Trenton Fair. 
Such forms as could be brought into the schoolroom from 
home or from the school garden were studied carefully. 
As the children learned to recognize the vegetables and 
fruits most commonly used in the home, two lines of study 
were followed : 

1. Modes of preparation for cooking, the necessity for 
thorough washing being stressed. 

2. Methods of preserving appropriate for each: — dry- 
ing, canning, etc. To illustrate these points, the children 
pickled beets and dried corn and apples, the products to be 
kept for the Fair. Making labels for these exhibits provided 
opportunity for the study, unawares, of isolated words and 
phrases and thus served as drill for sentence work. 

One of the children brought a huge pumpkin, unan- 
nounced, " to be exhibited at the Fair." Perishable fruits 
and vegetables were modeled in clay and colored, or they 
were drawn on paper or cardboard, colored, and cut out. 
While the children were getting this exhibit ready, the 
room fairly glowed with red-ripe tomatoes and their vivid 
green leaves, oranges, rosy-cheeked apples, bananas, and 
beets. Even Clytie's garden on the sand table had vege- 
tables and fruits added to its flowers. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 



(d) Peanut Stand. — There were some peanuts grow- 
ing in the school garden, but the crop was far too small 
to stock a stand at the Fair. So the children made clay 
peanuts. These were carefully modeled, dried, and the 
proper number counted out into the paper bags which 
the children made for this purpose. A lesson in printing 
" Peanuts — 5 cents " was motivated by the desire to be 
among the privileged few who proved themselves fit to 
label these bags. 

The peanut sellers decided to advertise their wares by 
a call or song. The children first decided on the words ; 
then, as Fair day was drawing very near, they asked the 
music supervisor whether she wouldn't make a tune for 
this call instead of helping them to work one out for them- 
selves. So they learned to sing : 



5 



4 ( ' ' 



^ ^ 



Pea - nuts ! Five cents a bag ! Who wants to buy? 



I 



-A^ 



£ 



— h- 

Who wants to buy? Peanuts, Peanuts ! Buy them now. Buy them now! 

Those who could sing it best were thereby constituted 
peanut sellers. 

The words of the song were copied for them in their 
Family Books. 

(e) Side Shows. — Much valuable thought and work 
grew out of this very important feature of the Fair. After 
reading or telling a number of stories, the teacher asked 
the children to select those which would " act out " as the 
best side shows. After much discussion, during which 
all sorts of pros and cons were advanced, the children's 
votes elected " Simple Simon " and " Three little pigs." 
Simple Simon thus came to be the first Mother Goose char- 



8 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

acter to figure in the Family Book, And Simple Simon 
had the honor of furnishing their first lesson in phonetics. 
For when the rhyme was written on the board one child 
commented on the letters beginning Simple Simon's name, 
and the teacher seized this opportunity to teach the 
S sound. ' 

The dramatization of "The three little pigs " gave 
the children a lot of pure fun in addition to its many other 
values — the development of imagination, training in 
speech as well as in other modes of expression, facts con- 
cerning the life of pigs, etc. 

(f) Merry-go-round. — The work in physical education 
at this time took the form of the singing game " Car- 
rousel," in order to furnish a means of entertainment at 
the Fair. The children worked out many interesting varia- 
tions of the game, instead of always having all sing while 
all played, (i) One group sang while the rest played, 
some being the horses, others taking the part of riders. 
(2) The names of the riders were substituted for the 
Swedish names in the song. (3) Instead of singing the 
words, the children hummed the tune in imitation of the 
carrousel organ. (4) One group hummed, another sang, 
and the rest played horses and riders. ( 5 ) Tickets were 
sold to the riders and collected during the ride. 

This last modification introduced the nickel, and 
formed the basis of an arithmetical game giving unsus- 
pected drill. The ticket man who failed in making change 
or in counting his tickets lost his job. 

(g) Tickets. — More formal tickets than those just 
mentioned were made in advance for the side shows, and 
these furnished very significant work. The children de- 
cided on the best size, and they measured, cut, and printed 
the oblongs of cardboard, after a spirited discussion as to 
the amount of admission to be charged. 

(h) The last piece of work was the making of Signs 



CUKRICULUM AS WOEKED OUT IN TRENTON 9 

or labels — posters, by courtesy — for all the parts of the 
Fair for which the grade was responsible. All the children 
diligently practiced — without urging — writing, in large, 
free script, using broad kindergarten pencils, " Animals," 
" Flowers," " Vegetables," " Fruits," etc. The children 
were encouraged to make the words large enough to be 
read at a distance — ^the teacher knowing that the small 
muscles were not ready to act ; the letters were at least two 
inches in height, many copies being even larger. A com- 
mittee, appointed before the work began, selected the best 
signs, for use at the Fair. 

2. THE WORK OF THE SECOND GRADE 

Here also the points of the opening discussion in the 
general assembly were reviewed and organized. The 
grade voted to furnish fences; the race track; the grand 
stand; race horses, sulkies, and jockeys; the Ferris wheel; 
a side show; tickets for the races, the Ferris wheel, and 
the side show ; and posters. 

(a) All the Necessary Fences. — A list of these was 
made. The most important fence was to enclose the whole 
fairground. The boundary line (drawn on the floor by 
the third grade) was measured, to determine the number 
of feet of fence needed. Each child assumed responsi- 
bility for a certain number of feet of completed fence. 
Each child was allowed to present a sample of the 
kind of fence he thought it would be best to use, 
employing wood, cardboard, or paper. The results 
were brought in, inspected, and voted on. The standards 
were ( i ) cheapness, since the Fair would last only a short 
time; (2) sufficient firmness to endure for this time; (3) 
feasible means of support; (4) possibility of execution by 
all the children. Some of the samples rejected on the 
last score were chosen for the minor enclosures and made 
by groups of volunteers. 



10 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Cardboard of medium weight was used for the main 
fence. One of the most interesting problems was the 
working out of the means of support. It certainly did tax 
ingenuity and patience to get that fence to stand up ! 

(b) The Race Track. — This was a flattened ring of 
clay about 27 inches in diameter, made by a group of chil- 
dren selected by their proving, in a try-out of the grade, 
that they could do it best. Few succeeded in getting their 
section of track thick enough, wide enough, flat enough, 
and of the proper curve, to prove themselves fit. The 
teacher tried to discourage the children's undertaking so 
difficult a method, urging them to make the track of some 
other material, but they clung so firmly to their assertion 
that " race tracks aren't made of paper " that she was 
obliged to yield. The progress of this project proved 
positively that play may rise to the work-level. 

(c) The Grand Stand. — This was also made of clay, a 
very wide slab being overlaid by one just enough nar- 
rower to form one tier of seats, this by one still nar- 
rower, etc. Once more the children found that they had 
set themselves a difficult task, but the intense desire to 
accomplish it proved a sufficient " drive," and the result 
was reasonably good. 

(d) Race Horses, Sulkies, and Jockeys. — Plasticene 
was used for these little figures, which were placed upon 
the race track. 

Racing in various ways became the favorite play dur- 
ing this time. The most popular form was in groups of 
three, the " horse " putting his arms back to join hands 
with the " sulky," and the " jockey " running between 
the two. 

(e) The Ferris Wheel. — Many cardboard and paper 
constructions of this means of amusement were offered, 
but the form accepted called for a main structure of 
wood, with carriages of paper. The inventor, with as 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 11 

many helpers as he needed or could find, built the 
wooden framework, the other children helping by making 
the little carriages. 

In the language work the following rhyme was 
developed : 

" Merrily turns the Ferris wheel ! 
Up it goes, then down. 
Now you travel through the clouds, 
Now you're back in town." 

The music periods were devoted to fitting a tune to 
these words — to be used at the Fair as well as in the Ferris 
wheel game, which the children devised since none could 
be found in any of the books available. 

(f) A Side Show. — The children searched diligently 
through all the books in the school library for a story which 
they might dramatize as a side show. This search had 
to be confined to first-grade material, since the class had 
come into the grade very poor readers. As soon as a child 
found something which he thought appropriate, he read 
it to the class; if they thought it might make a good side 
show, it was tried out. The story of " The little pig's 
house," lending itself to a great deal of action and re- 
quiring a number of children to play it out, was finally 
agreed upon. In this process the weaklings in reading and 
dramatic expression were revealed. Thus the teacher had 
a basis for a later grouping of the children according to 
their reading ability, so that the better readers might not 
be retarded while help was given to the others. 

(g) Tickets for the Races, the Wheel, and the Side 
Show. — These were made of different sizes, proportions, 
and colors, so that they might be easily distinguished. 
The prices decided on were 5 cts. for a ride on the Ferris 
wheel, 10 cts. for the side show; and 15 cts. for admis- 
sion to the grand stand. In printing these tickets the chil- 



12 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

dren learned how to spell all the words involved, to write 
the three numbers and to realize their relationship, and 
to use the abbreviation for cents. 

In order to discover the best ticket sellers for the Fair, 
games were played which g'ave excellent drill in addition 
and subtraction. 

(h) Posters. — In the art work for this grade, very sim- 
ple posters advertising the features of the Fair were 
worked out. 

3. THE WORK OF THE THIRD GRADE 

After a review of the discussion in the joint assembly, 
the children of this grade, as the older and " wiser " 
members of the community, assumed the major responsi- 
bilities, as shown in the following list: a plan of the 
grounds; tickets of admission to the Fair; automobiles 
and aeroplanes; tents and buildings; exhibit of preserved 
foods ; arrangements for races ; a side show. 

(a) Plan of the Grounds. — The first piece of work was 
to make a plan of the whole thing — to " set the stage," 
so to speak. Their ideas for the arrangement of the 
different features of the Fair were, of course, based on 
what they had seen at the " real " fair. Each child first 
submitted his plan on paper, in answer to the questions, 
" How shall we place the different parts of the Fair? " 
" How may we each see what the others are think- 
ing about ? " 

Next, a list was made on the board of all the things 
shown in these individual plans. Then the children drew 
on the board a sort of composite picture or plan, embody- 
ing all these features. After the necessary corrections 
and additions, this plan was transferred from the black- 
board to the floor of the room where the Fair was to 
take place. 

The entrances, paths, race track and locations for the 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 13 

different exhibits were sketched in and a name written on 
each, so that the children from the other two grades 
might know where tO' place their finished work when they 
brought it in. No child was allowed to write in a name 
until he had proved to the class that he could spell it 
correctly. This not only afforded an opportunity for the 
review of many second grade words but gave the children 
a number of new terms. Such words as main building, 
ticket booth, main entrance, farm animals, chicken house, 
side shows, race track, fences, grand stand, were thus 
added to their vocabulary. 

(b) Admission Tickets. — It was left to the children of 
this grade to decide the price of admission. The sugges- 
tions of the other two grades were considered and acted 
upon by " the committee." After this weighty question 
was settled, the next thing was the making of the tickets. 
The size and shape of these, the color, and the " printing " 
which was to go on them had to be worked out. This 
involved measuring, drawing, cutting, the .spacing of 
words and figures, the spelling of " Training School Fair 
— Friday, October — , 1918. Admission 25 cts." 

Another matter of great importance was to find a good 
ticket seller, one who could " handle large crowds rap- 
idly." So the arithmetic at this time was largely drill 
work which took the form of playing " selling tickets." 
Children had to learn to recognize the different pieces 
of money and learn how to make change. They manufac- 
tured money for this game, the teacher having brought 
pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, halves, and $1, $2, $5, 
$10 notes to be used as patterns. 

(c) Automobiles and Aeroplanes for Exhibits and 
Races. — This was an optional piece of work, but it aroused 
so much interest and competition that practically every 
boy tried to make one of each. There was great variety 
in the output. Some of the machines were made of paper 



14 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

or cardboard; some of clay; some of the aeropilanes had a 
wooden framework covered with cloth. The children 
brought in a number of pictures and toy models. 

(d) Tents and Buildings.— While the boys worked on 
autos and airplanes, the girls assumed the responsibility 
of making the tents and some of the buildings. A great 
deal of freedom was allowed here and the results showed 
much individuality. Paper and cardboard were used for 
the most part in these constructions. 

It might be said in passing that the use of paper and 
cardboard was allowed in this project after the idea was 
developed with the children that the structures erected on 
fairgrounds are usually only temporar}^ But in the sub- 
sequent work of the year articles were made, as far as 
possible, of a more durable material than paper, since 
homes and their furnishings, stores and their fixtures, the 
public buildings in a city, are of a more permanent nature. 
Paper and cardboard were also used frequently on the 
sand table, for the reasons given above. The children 
soon learned to discriminate in the selection of material, 
trying to approximate as closely as possible that used in 
the " real thing." 

(e) Preserved Food Exhibit. — This proved one of 
the most valuable phases of the third-grade work. A 
careful study of vegetables and fruits was made as the 
class planned this exhibit, involving trips to the garden 
and the gathering of fruits and vegetables there. Many 
of the children brought other varieties from home. " Fall 
fruits and vegetables " were not studied simply as such, 
but were considered from the point of view of saving 
them for winter use. The advantages of preserving fruits 
and vegetables; the various methods that may be em- 
ployed ; the economy of buying each when it is cheapest, 
to be used when it is dearest or perhaps impossible to 
obtain at any price; the choice of the best method for 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON" 15 

each ; the part of the plant used, whether root, stem, leaf, 
or fruit; the time for planting and for gathering each — 
all treated not as isolated topics but in relation to the 
" purposive activity," preparing an exhibit for our Fair. 
The material outcome was the actual pickling of beets and 
tomatoes, the drying of corn, beans, and apples, and the 
canning and preserving of peaches. Every child helped in 
each of these processes. The food was prepared in the 
schoolroom, but the heating or cooking was done in the 
domestic science laboratory because this was more con- 
venient. But it would have been a very simple matter to 
attach a gas plate in the schoolroom, had the laboratory 
not been available. 

It was decided during the progress of this work that 
if it was very well done the products might be served to 
the grade mothers at one of the school parties during 
the year. 

(f) Arrangements for Races. — Since all three grades 
were to take part in the racing contests, the method of 
carrying out this part of the Fair program had to be deter- 
mined. Each grade had planned its own races and had 
practiced them on the playground. To arrange the final 
program an assembly of the grades was called. The third 
grade, as the seniors, were allowed to take the initiative 
in the making of the plan and the choice of prizes. Little 
bows of different colored ribbon were decided upon, 
and the teacher volunteered to provide these rewards 
of success. 

(g) The Side Show. — The writer is unable to give any 
details of this feature, because the class had voted to 
work this up as a surprise for her, under the leadership 
of one of the student teachers. Even the name of the 
story which was in rehearsal cannot be given, for the 
reason indicated in the next topic. 



16 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

B. THE MAJOR PROJECTS 
I. INTRODUCTION 

Just before the day set for the Training School Fair, 
the schools were closed because of the influenza, and their 
doors were not reopened for a month. 

By this time the clay grand stand and race track had 
cracked and crumbled, the cardboard and paper structures 
had sagged and collapsed. Everything was dusty and 
dingy, and the children's enthusiasm had died a natural 
death. They realized the impossibility of having a credit- 
able exhibition, and it became imperative for the teacher 
to foster or to kindle new interests and to start new work. 

But the Fair had accomplished the greater part of its 
mission — the essential part; the children were now three 
communities in one. At the first meeting of each of 
these little communities, memories of the pleasures of 
playing Fair prompted the suggestion from all sides, 
" Let's play something else." Each grade, beginning with 
the third, talked over with the supervisor, very informally, 
what this " something else " should be. The approach 
was made through the following questions : 

" Why did we have such a good time playing Fair? " 
(Varying reasons given.) 

'' What did you like best to do? " (A list was made 
on the board as the children's replies poured forth.) 

" Can you think of something else that we might play 
which would give us another opportunity to make houses, 
paths, fences, etc., as we did for the Fair, as well as to 
make some new things? " (" Playing city " was finally 
worked up to, by a series of questions. ) 

" What would you like to have the other grades do 
this time? " 

The children rather resented the implication that they 
needed any help. Their attitude was so self-sufficient that 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 17 

the supervisor left the room saying, " You'd better think it 
over, and in the meantime I'll see what first and second 
grades can offer, while you decide just how you'd like to 
play city." 

Going into the first grade, the supervisor reported that 
third grade had decided to play city. The children showed 
much interest and said, " Can't we play it, too?" 

" That's just my reason for coming in to see you this 
morning. Can you think of something interesting to do 
that will be so useful in a city that the third grade will 
be as glad of your help as they were in playing Fair? " 
(The class, as stated before, was in charge of student 
teachers most of the time.) 

"What would you like to do?" (Various sugges- 
tions, listed on the board. ) 

" In making your final choice, what are some of the 
things you must think about?" ("Something easy." 
" Something that will be fun." " Something the third 
grade can't do." " Something we all want to do." 
" Something you want us to do.") 

After these standards had been developed, they were 
applied to the suggestions that had been made. The 
teacher saw that most, if not all, of the scattered activities 
accepted might be combined under the term " playing 
families," and she succeeded finally in getting this very 
wording from the children. The direct question which 
elicited this answer was, " Can you suggest a name for this 
game which will interest people as much as ' playing Fair ' 
did ? " The interest which had been shown in the earlier 
project by the Normal School students and the principal 
and faculty of both Normal and Training departments, as 
well as by visiting teachers and parents, had greatly en- 
couraged the children and was well remembered. 

"How will you play families?" (All sorts of 
suggestions. ) 
2 



18 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

" I'll leave you to work out your plan with Miss — 



and may I ask you to let third grade know how you will 
help them in their new play? You may decide how you 
want to send this message." 

The supervisor's next mission was to get the second 
grade started in the new work. Practically the same 
approach was made, with the additional suggestion that 
the first as well as the third grade needed their help, for 
both had decided on very important play work for the rest 
of the year, work that they couldn't possibly do as well 
alone as they could with second grade's assistance. 
Many of the responses ran parallel with those of the first 
grade, but as a whole they showed more variety and 
indicated broader experience. 

" What can you do to supply some important needs 
of both city and families? We might make a riddle of 
this. * What can be done that will help a city as much as it 
helps the families in the city?'" (A list of suggested 
activities was made on the board. ) 

" Of all these things, how will you decide which it 
will be best to choose ? " ( " Something pretty." " Some- 
thing we are sure we can do." " Something for both 
grades." " Something that won't cost much." " Some- 
thing we'll have fun out of.") 

" Playing store " was decided upon, and the supervisor 
left the room telling the children to think of ways and 
means, and to send their answer to third grade. 

The result of this was a tentative plan for the work 
of each grade. Those of first and second grades were sub- 
mitted to third grade by visiting delegations. The mem- 
bers of these committees were chosen by virtue of ( i ) the 
abundance of their suggestions for the work; (2) their 
help in formulating the speech which was to present their 
plan for third grade's approval; (3) their proving during 
the rehearsals of this speech in their own grade that they 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 19 

could explain the plan clearly and attractively. Most 
valuable training in thinking and in speaking was given 
in these rehearsals. Criteria were developed by the chil- 
dren themselves as the preparation of the reports pro- 
gressed; such as, " They must not be too long." " Say 
what they must know." " Make the third grade want us 
to help them." " Say what you mean." " Do not be 
scared saying it,'' etc. 

Since the details of the speeches were not fixed and 
then memorized, the aim being to have the children think 
coherently on their feet, and since the visiting delegations 
were not escorted by the writer but by a student teacher, 
the addresses cannot be reported here. But the offers were 
enthusiastically received and adopted, the sterile soil of 
third grade having been cultivated in the interim. The 
supervisor had reminded the children that they had had 
a much better Fair by having first and second grades help, 
and had convinced them without much difficulty that they 
couldn't possibly work out all the details of the family 
life in the city nor all the details of a big department store; 
first, because there wouldn't be time ; second, because there 
wouldn't be room, for what limited space was available for 
play-work ought to be shared with the other grades. The 
last shreds of opposition melted away under the super- 
visor's promise that whenever either first or second grade 
" struck snags " in their work third grade might be called 
in to help and that, if there were time enough after com- 
pleting everything else in the city, each child might " go 
into business " for himself, since a city always has other 
stores in addition to its big department store. 

The first and second grades needed no preparation to 
greet with delighted interest the report of how third grade 
had planned to play city. Then the first and the second 
grades presented their plans to each other, in order that 



20 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

each unit of this triple combination might know what the 
other two were doing and hoping to do. 

While the machinery was thus being set up, adjusted, 
and oiled, the new set of student teachers became 
acquainted with the children by having them show in 
various ways what they had done during the month the 
school had been closed and thereby discovering where the 
children stood in ability to read, write, and cipher. Had .^ 
this vacation not occurred, the student teachers might hav^ 
been instructed to review the outcomes of the Fair project, 
and thus learn to know the individual children. 

At last the wheels of the year's projects began to go 
round. Comparatively few changes proved necessary dur- 
ing the carrying out of the plans as first made in each 
grade, so that the account which follows may be taken 
as the flesh clothing the skeleton outline worked out by 
the children to present to the other grades. 

II. FIRST GRADE MAJOR PROJECT — PLAYING " FAMILIES " 

(a) Organization of Families. — The children decided 
that there must be more than one family. They readily 
saw, too, that " there couldn't be as many as there are in 
a * real ' city, because there aren't enough of us to play 
it that way." A lively discussion followed, beginning with 
the question, " How many persons are there in your fam- 
ily? ", " In yours? ", etc. All the children in the class were 
counted several times by volunteers. There were thirty. 

" How shall we divide these into families? " The chil- 
dren formd it hard to agree upon, or even to suggest, 
a method for doing this. The question, " Whom must we 
have to make a family? " established father, mother, and 
child as " minimal essentials." 

" Shall the child be a girl or a boy? " Differences of 
opinion made it necessary to have both. This swelled the 
number of members to four. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 21 

" How old shall the children be? " Again a difference 
of opinion, some wanting big brother and sister, some lit- 
tle brother and sister, the matter being settled finally by 
having both. The result was a family of six — mother and 
father, big brother and sister, little brother and sister. 

I. Choosing ChildrM for the Different Roles. — Age 
and size were agreed upon as the basis for the grouping. 
Later there was some shifting within the groups and even 
some inter-group changes, according to ability. 

The " sorting out " process involved the following 
judgments : 

" How shall we choose the fathers? " (Age and, of 
course, sex basis. If the older boy were very small, size 
was also considered in this first grouping. ) 

" How many boys know their age? " (Practically all 
were either six or seven, so it became necessary to be more 
exact. Discussion was allowed here and valuable training 
was given in English as well as reasoning, though interest 
was not killed by insisting on academic correctness in 
every sentence.) 

" How can we find out exactly how old you are? " 
(" Ask mother." " Have mother write it on paper." The 
latter being <iecided upon as the better way, the teacher 
was able thus to complete and verify the age records for 
her reports.) 

" How shall we decide which boys shall be big brothers 
and which little brothers?" (Age or size and weight 
were used, according to circumstances. Each child was 
weighed in the physical education office. They measured 
one another to determine the tallest, the smallest, and 
the middle-sized.) 

Mothers, big sisters, and little sisters were selected in 
the same way. The teacher tried to direct by unobtrusive 
suggestion. Other things being equal, she endeavored to 
have leaders — discovered through the " Fair " project — 



22 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

for fathers and mothers. Whenever a decided lack of bal- 
ance in the family became evident, changes were sug- 
gested, often by the children themselves. Such remarks 
as the foUow^ing frequently came from the members of a 
group : " She isn't a good mother at all." " He isn't doing 
what the other fathers do." " Mary doesn't help as a 
big sister ought to." In consequence, perhaps Mary was 
made little sister, Susie having proved herself more big- 
sister-like. If relative size made this exchange seem very 
incongruous, Mary might be allowed to go into another 
family as big sister " on trial." This usually worked, 
whether because Mary took hold of herself lest she be de- 
graded into a little sister or because the psychological con- 
ditions in the new family were more favorable. Mary 
might even be tried out as mother in another family. 

In the case of one boy, Richard, his being made the 
father of a family, after having been the most mischievous 
little brother imaginable, simply transformed him from a 
troublesome, stupid, uninterested and uninteresting young- 
ster into a responsible, wide-awake, splendid pupil. One 
may well ask how such a transfer as this could be justified 
to the other children. It was managed by placing the em- 
phasis on the fact that the father of the other family was 
decidedly falling from grace; it was patent to everyone 
that he wasn't fit to be the father of a family ! So intent 
were the children on this fact that they accepted without 
demur the supervisor's suggestion that Richard have a 
trial at that position. " True, he hadn't been a very good 
little brother; but perhaps he could do better as a father 
than David had, and David ought to be made a little 
brother because it wasn't very likely he could be a good 
big brother when he had proved so unreliable as a father." 
One sees how discipline would take care of itself in this 
situation, as it did in so many others. 

The dropping out of some children as their parents 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 23 

moved from town, the enrollment of new pupils, an un- 
equal number of boys and girls in the school, upset from 
time to time the original plan for the composition of the 
families. This difficulty was overcome by having an aunt 
or an uncle, a grandfather or a grandmother, or perhaps 
a middle-sized child, in some of the families. 

While interest in the selection of the different members 
of the families ran high, the question, " What do you 
know about animal families ? " introduced " The three 
bears " and " The three goats Gruff." These stories 
were told and retold, illustrated, and dramatized, with 
great delight. 

2. Learning the Names of the Members of Each 
Family. — " You all know one another's names, but how can 
you best remember, as well as show to others, what member 
of the family each one is? " (" Write it on the board." 
"Write it on paper.") Both of these suggestions were 
followed, and the result formed the first family reading 
lesson. Script was used for the board work. Then the 
sentences, " Mary is the mother," " John is the father," 
etc., were printed with the price-and-sign-marker on 
large sheets of oak tag, each one headed with the 
surname of the father as the family name; e.g., "The 
Healy Family." 

" Can you think of some good ways to let the folks 
at home know how you are playing family at school? " 
(" Tell them." " Have them come to see us." " Write 
about it.") 

"We can do all three. Where shall we write it?" 
("On sheets of paper." "Put it into a notebook." 
" Make books to write it in.") 

The last-named method was agreed upon. But since 
this " Family Book " was to be large enough to have 
stories put into it from time to time throughout the year, 
the children were shown that making it would be too diffi- 



24 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

cult a task for them to handle. The third grade could have 
made these books, all the citizens becoming binders for the 
time being. Another year, profiting by this experience, 
the supervisor would surely arrange to use this work to 
fill in the time while the city plans were being developed. 
But the need for the books not having been foreseen 
in time to allow for third-grade workmanship without too 
much interference with third grade's own project, since 
the construction work on the city had already begun, a 
" friend in need " made the books in a hurry. Whole 
sheets of foolscap paper were cut in half crosswise, sewed 
together through the center, and then sewed to a strip of 
cloth which was pasted into a strong art-board cover, 
cloth-hinged. 

The decoration of these covers became a third-grade 
art unit. Each child was allowed to decide whether he 
would use pictures of the six members of the family, in 
making his design, or a picture of the house the family 
lived in. The Funny Little Book by Johnny Gruelle, 
published by the Volland Company, Chicago, 1918, was 
used for suggestions for these designs, as well as for the 
printing of the title, " Family Book." Pictures and letters 
were drawn, colored with crayola, cut out, and pasted on 
the gray cardboard, with fine effect. There being more 
first graders than third, the children who first finished 
their covers creditably were allowed to design and deco- 
rate another. 

First-grade reading was now being motivated by the 
prospect of having these books to take home at Christmas 
time, in order to read to the family there all about what 
the children had learned to do at school. So " Simple 
Simon," the peanut call, Clytie's garden, etc., had to be 
put in in greater haste than would permit all the necessary 
copying to be done by the student teachers then working 
in the grade, even if their handwriting had been suitable 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 25 

for first-grade reading matter. So the commercial de- 
partment oi" the Normal School cooperated by having all 
the lessons that had been given up to this point copied in 
the penmanship classes. Thereafter the lessons were 
put in, one by one, in the best handwriting of the 
student teachers. 

J. Determining the Duties of Each Member. — 
" What shall each member of the family be expected 
to do?" This was discussed in a general way by the 
whole group. There was a good deal of overlapping and 
duplication of ideas, the children finding it difficult to 
differentiate the duties of father and big brother, mother 
and big sister. 

"Who can suggest a better way of deciding?" 
("Have all the fathers meet." "Have all the mothers 
meet," etc.) 

" Do your mothers ever meet with other mothers to 
talk things over while they sew or knit? " (" My mother 
goes to a mothers' meeting." " My father goes to a club." ) 

" How many clubs do we need ? " ( " One for fathers, 
one for mothers, one for big boys and girls, one for the 
little children.") 

" What are some of the things you must do in order 
to start your club work ? " (" Elect a president." "De- 
cide on a name." " Decide what each club will do." 
" Select colors." " Make badges." ) 

A time was set for the meeting of each club for organ- 
ization. Since the supervisor and the student teachers 
wanted to see how the children would take hold of the 
thing themselves and to allow them to make a " report " 
of the proceedings, they did not attend these meetings, 
which were held simultaneously in the comers of the room. 
The necessity for talking quietly so as not to disturb the 
other meetings was in itself good training. 

The fathers decided on the name " Fathers' Club," 



26 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

elected their president, and chose blue and orange as their 
colors, but reported that they could not make a badge, 
Here was a chance for the teacher's help. They decided 
that fathers in a school family ought to : 

(a) Keep the rest of the family quiet in school. 

(b) Help to keep the floor clean. 

(c) Help others in the family when they need it. 

(d) Help to pass and to collect materials for the 

family. 

(e) Notice absentees and have them come to 

school next day, if possible. 
(/) Make the children behave. 
(g) Do the hard work — like lifting heavy things. 
(h) " Mend the house." 

The mothers voted to call themselves " Mothers' 
Club," the advocates of " Mothers' Meeting " being in the 
minority. They decided on purple and yellow for their 
colors, but " did not know how to make a badge." The 
best leader among them was chosen president without a 
dissenting vote, not even her own ! The duties which they 
reported were, for the most part, duties of mothers in the 
home, such as washing, ironing, sewing, cooking, caring 
for the children, cleaning. The suggestion was made that 
the mothers of the school families would see that their 
children were clean and that the floor and desks were 
kept tidy. 

The older and the younger children's clubs reported 
in the main that their work would be " going errands," 
" helping father and mother," etc. The duties of these 
clubs being so much alike, the two were finally merged 
under the name of " Helpers' Club." They selected red 
and green as their colors. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 27 

The supervisor attended the second meeting of each 
club, as a visitor. Entering into the discussions as poHtely 
and tactfully as she knew how, she succeeded in so guiding 
the proceedings that the specific work for each member of 
the school family was wisely decided upon. In no two 
families were all these individual responsibilities exactly 
alike, for after the possibilities were fully stated, each 
family decided upon its own division of labor. As the 
project unfolds, some of the differentiated work and the 
method of carrying it on will be disclosed. 

The later meetings of the clubs proved most interest- 
ing. Entertainments were worked up with programs of 
story-telling, readings, dramatizations, etc. The activities 
of the club to a large extent paralleled the activities of the 
family life as it developed. Moreover, there were inter- 
club games, parties, and meetings to consider any crisis in 
the family life. From time to time the clubs made reports 
of their work to the third grade. This was not done so 
often for the second grade, since, the first grade being 
their regular customers, they knew most of the ins and 
outs of the family life. 

(b) Making Doll Families. — The time for the next 
phase of the project had now come. So the teacher said, 
" What will help us to have more fun in playing family? " 
The children's first answers were so used in the succeed- 
ing questions that the answer, " Get doll families so that 
we can make real clothes and homes for them," finally 
came from them without their suspecting in the least that 
it was foreordained. 

" How shall we get these families? " (" Bring them 
from home." " Buy dolls." " Make them." This last 
suggestion was accepted as being the most economical. ) 

"How shall we make them?" The answers here 
were so vague that the children were encouraged to bring 
dolls from home so that we might see how they were made. 



28 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Dolls of all sorts were produced the next day. One 
by one they were weighed in the balance and found want- 
ing. " This one is too hard to make." " We can't get the 
stuff that that one is made of." " We don't know how 
Katie's is made." The only possibility was the rag doll, 
which had the added advantage of not being liable to break 
during the general and probably strenuous play of the class. 

But making dolls from any " rags " which might come 
to hand would be too difficult a process for fingers that 
had never held a needle, so the supervisor produced the 
stocking dolls which she had borrowed from the domestic 
science department. The children were delighted with 
these, and the teacher offered to supply enough children's 
hose to serve as " skins." These were of three sizes — the 
smallest that could be found, to make little brothers and 
sisters; a little larger ones for big brothers and sisters; 
still larger, for fathers and mothers. One little white 
cotton stocking was given to each child. An incidental 
lesson in economy was given by the fact that dolls can 
be made by this method from the smallest possible amount 
of material, and without wasting even a scrap. 

The making of the dolls was the raison d'etre for a 
series of reading lessons, chiefly in the form of directions 
which each child, in the very nature of things, must learn 
to read before he could do the work. Each of the slower 
pupils who showed that he was making an honest effort 
to master the reading was helped by the teacher, in case 
his slowness was proving too great a hindrance to the 
others, in such a way that he thought he was doing it all 
by himself. And every child tried with all his might, for 
they were all exceedingly anxious to get at the making 
of those dollies. Who would not try to learn to read, 
" Cut the foot from the leg," when he was to be allowed 
to use the scissors as soon as he read it and could prove, 
by recognizing each word on a perception card or by 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 29 

pointing to it in the sentence, that he had not merely 
memorized unconsciously? As each step in the manu- 
facture was accomplished, the directions for it were copied 
into the Family Book, which the children were allowed 
to take home for that evening to read the story to father 
and mother. The complete series of reading lessons will 
be found in the Appendix, page 283. 

At the time the dolls were making, cotton was scarce 
and we were all being urged to conserve it. So the next 
question was, " What shall we use to stuff our dolls ? " All 
sorts of substitutes for cotton were suggested; the one 
decided upon as cheapest, most easily obtained, cleanest, 
lightest in weight, and softest, next to cotton, was corn 
silk. Each child brought as much of this as he could and 
it was dried on the window sill, the little sisters being 
appointed to turn it each day. 

In the making of the dolls the girls had frequent 
opportunities to help the boys, though the latter, by the 
way, made no objection whatever to the sewing as such. 
They seemed proud of the fact that they were making 
the men of the family. If a child showed himself utterly 
unable to do this sewing, some other member of the family 
fell in to do it for him, but these cases were rare. Of 
course no high degree of skill was demanded, the stand- 
ard being merely to sew the edges of each part together 
firmly enough to make it hold the corn silk and to sew 
the legs and arms on so well that they wouldn't fall off. 

The tinting of the skin in the dolls! and the addition 
of the features made a series of reading lessons which 
the children thoroughly enjoyed. But supplying the hair 
was the best fun of all. They insisted on having " real 
hair," so they were allowed to bring combings from home. 
The teacher had a fine opportunity here to teach the 
proper care of the head, the necessity for washing the hair, 
etc. A large receptacle of hot water was brought into 



30 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

the schoolroom and each child washed his little wad of 
combings thoroughly before sewing it on the doll's head. 
Ivory soap was used. The school at this time was under- 
going a plague of pediculosis, and the teacher stressed 
the frequent washing of the head as a preventive measure. 
Each little mother of a school family urged all her children 
to have their heads washed and she called to strict account 
those who failed to do so. 

The dolls were bathed in tinted water in order to tone 
down the whiteness, or rather to tone up the grayness, 
which had resulted from much handling. The reading les- 
son, as usual, took the form of directions, and the writer 
has never seen such intense interest in learning to read as 
the desire to bathe those babies pink aroused in this class. 

In the next series of lessons, the dolls asked for 
features. In response to this request, bead eyes were sewed 
on and stitches of wool or silk were made to represent nose, 
ears, and mouth. Individual differences were very evident 
in the resulting countenances. 

The periods of time devoted to work on the dolls 
varied greatly in length. Indeed throughout the year, not 
the hands of the clock, but interest-span or a suitable stage 
of the work, determined the length of a period. The chief 
aim was not to teach so much arithmetic, so much writing, 
so much drawing, so much reading, each day, any more 
than in real life we do equal amounts of sewing, washing, 
ironing, baking, or sweeping every day, or certain amounts 
of plowing, seeding, hoeing, and harvesting. At times 
the development of the project called for all the customary 
school exercises, but often the greater part of the day was 
spent on only a few phases of the work. But the next 
day other phases had their turn, so that in the long run 
a balance was maintained. The flexible daily program 
secured results, as they are secured outside of school, 
without unnecessary interruptions to the main interest. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 31 

While the dolls were being made, the passing of mate- 
rials, involving the counting of the different articles needed ; 
their division into piles, one to be handed to each family ; 
and finally the distribution within the family — " ladies 
first " — provided drill in both number facts and politeness. 

As the children finished the stage of work in hand, 
they were allowed to get books — various primers and first- 
grade readers — from the closet, and browse in them at 
will. Sometimes when a whole family finished work 
ahead of the others, one of the teachers met with this 
group, encouraging and helping them in their reading. 
As already explained, the basic lessons in reading were 
furnished by the family development, using the vocabulary 
growing out of this ; and phonetic facts were taught when- 
ever occasion offered, from the days of " Simple Simon " 
on. Stories from printed books were read at this time 
" just for fun." 

The idea in the writer's mind is that, even with chil- 
dren as young as these, habits of serious reading and of 
reading for pleasure, or leisure-time reading, may be 
developed side by side. In every case the serious reading 
was made as interesting as possible, and seldom did it fail 
to elicit very satisfactory reactions from the children. 

(c) Dressing the Doll Families. — ^The dolls having 
been finished, the next stepi was to provide clothing 
for them. 

" How shall we get clothes for our families ? " (" Buy 
them." "Make them.") It was decided to use both 
methods, since we had so good a department store just 
across the street, " the street " being the school corridor, 
on the other side of which was the second grade's store. 

The first lesson on dressing the dolls was worked out 
by one of the student teachers. 

" How many people must be dressed in each family? " 
(" Six.") 



32 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

" We'll write this on the board, so as not to forget, 
In how many ways can we put it down? " (" Six," " Six," 




"We have six people to dress. Who are they?" 
(" Mother has to be dressed." " Father has to be 
dressed." " Big brother has to be dressed." " Little sis- 
ter has to be dressed," etc.) Each of these sentences 
was written on the board as it came from the children, 
one under the other so as to make the common ele- 
ments conspicuous. 

" Boys and girls, I was talking to a salesman from sec- 
ond grade this morning. Do you know why he is called 
a salesman? " (" Because he sells things.") 

" What do you think he asked me? " (Mere guesses 
from the children.) 

" He asked whether we were not ready to dress om- 
dolls. I told him we were just about ready, so he is coming 
in to-morrow to find out how many kinds of people there 
are to be dressed in our families. In order to tell him, 
what shall we have to do? " (" Say how many." " Give 
him the order." " Learn to read the order to him.") 

So the children set to work on the six sentences which 
had been put on the board. They recognized the " old 
friends " without any difficulty and quickly mastered the 
new words because of the repetition. After the whole 
had been read several times, the word drill was carried on 
by having two salesmen sell words, the point being to see 
which one could sell, i.e., recognize, more words in a 
given time. 

After the children had gained full command of the les- 
son, the salesman from second grade arrived to get the 
information needed by the store. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 33 

How the dolls should be clad was the next thing to be 
decided. This lesson, as planned by the other student 
teacher, took the following form. Notice the imaginary 
situations which were used to stimulate interest in lessons 
which might otherwise have been very prosy. 

" What do you think I dreamed last night that Big 
Brother and Big Sister asked me? " (The children tried 
to guess. ) 

" They asked how we meant to dress Mother. I said 
that we hadn't yet decided, so they told me what they 
thought would be nice for her. What do you think they 
suggested?" ("A dress." " A coat." "A hat.") 

" Yes, but they mentioned something else to keep her 
warm, instead of a coat, and something else than a hat for 
her head." ("A cape." " A bonnet") 

" Now you have thought of most of the things; but 
they said it in such a fine way. Listen. (As the teacher 
pronounced the words of the following jingle, she wrote 
them on the board slowly, giving the children time to look 
carefully at each one before writing the next. Where a 
blank appears, she stopped, and by a suggestive gesture, 
or, if necessary, a question, tried to get the needed word 
from the children. ) 

" Mother must have a pretty , (dress) 

And don't forget her , (bonnet) 

A cape of red or or 

(blue, brown, or any other one-syllabled color) 



With 



What do you think it 1 u • i^^ -^ » 

was trimmed with?/ ^ ^ 
(ribbons, or buttons) 

" Now I'll read it through just as I thought I heard it. 
Who can read it in a way that would interest the salesman 
if he should come in now? Those who learn it first may 
be the first to dress Mother." 

For the word drill, a large " mother " was drawn on 
3 



34 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

the board in the simplest possible outline, to be " dressed." 
Sketching in a. line to indicate the cape, the teacher asked 
who could point out in the rhyme the word naming that 
garment, writing it on the cape as soon as some child 
displayed the necessary knowledge. Intending to ask for 
the color later, she so placed this word as to allow room 
for " red," etc. The child who volunteered might be 
rewarded in some simple way, as by writing his name on 
the board, perhaps just opposite the word he had given. 
The bonnet was then sketched and named in the same way ; 
the "ribbons" or "buttons" of the cape were added; 
the remaining adjectives were written on the garments 
which they described. 

" Now let us undress Mother and put her clothes 
away." A closet or trunk and a hat box were 
hastily drawn. 

" What shall we take off first? " The child whose 
answer was accepted was allowed to erase the word, the 
teacher then writing that word, in the proper receptacle. 
This process completed, the children might be called 
on to name all the things in the closet, as the 
words were indicated. 

The drill should be conducted very quickly, and may 
be varied greatly by the exercise of a little ingenuity. It 
has been described in greater detail than necessary for the 
skilled teacher of little children, for the sake of possible 
readers who have never seen the delighted interest of chil- 
dren in such work as this, have never realized how rapidly 
their vocabulary grows under such cultivation. Most of 
the details of later drills will be left to the readers' imagi- 
nation, unless there is some new feature. 

The children asked whether they might not dress 
Mother themselves, so several of them were allowed to 
make the sketches and ask the questions, the teacher writ- 
ing the words for them. The words were left on the 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 35 

board, and for several days children were seen, singly 
or in pairs, playing this game whenever the pressure of 
other desires allowed it, thus drilling themselves. 

After a series of reading lessons on the garments 
needed for each member of the family, it was agreed 
that the first thing to be made was the union suit. This 
discussion afforded opportunity for much hygienic teach- 
ing concerning the kind and the care of underwear, the 
relative merits of wool and cotton, etc. 

Valuable training in arithmetic was given in the initial 
lesson on making this undergarment. 

Aim. — To have the child measure his doll to find out 
how much material to buy for the union suit. 

" How shall we find out how much union suit material 
to buy in the second grade's store?" ("Measure the 
dolls.") 

"And how shall we do this?" The child put one 
finger where he thought the upper edge of the suit should 
come, another at the doll's knee, then held these fingers 
up in the same relative position, saying, " I'd need 
so much." 

" Is there not a better way to measure, for you see it is 
hard to keep your fingers just the right distance apart? " 
("Use a ruler.") 

" Where get the rulers ? " ( " You'll give them to us." ) 

" Don't you think you might buy them in the Model 
Department Store? " 

A child, sent to investigate, reported that they had 
fine rulers on sale. The second-grade children had done 
very interesting and careful work in making rulers simple 
enough for first grade to use. They were a foot long, the 
inch being shown by a long red ink line, the half inch by 
a short black line. 

The children, having purchased these, were interested 
in measuring everything in sight, thus again drilling them- 



36 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

selves. In measuring their dolls for the union suits, the 
different members of the family checked up one another's 
results. The dolls were measured from shoulder to knee. 
Each child wrote the length on a piece of paper — his 
memorandum — " 4 inches " — " 5 inches." 

Then followed another trip to the store, to buy the 
material. In this transaction the responsibility for meas- 
uring properly and for making change was placed pri- 
marily on the second-grade salesmen; but the first grade 
again, as when they purchased the rulers, felt the need 
for checking up the operations. They had not yet learned 
the arithmetical processes involved in computing cost and 
making change, but in the addition and the subtraction 
drills which followed, their strong desire to become 
ready reckoners for their next shopping expedition was 
very evident. 

Each child made his own paper pattern, pinned it on 
the material, and cut and sewed the garment. A descrip- 
tion of this work made the following reading lesson, which 
was learned in order that it might be read to second 
grade, who had expressed a desire to know " how the first 
grade made the little union suits from the material sold 
to them in our store." 

" We have made union suits for our dolls. 
Some are made of wool. 
Some are made of cotton. 
First we made the pattern. 
Then we put the pattern on the goods. 
We cut around the edges of the pattern. 
We sewed the sides shut. 
We left neck, armholes, and legs open." 

Those who could read this best were selected to go 
to second grade, and permitted to show a few of the best 
garments to illustrate the reading. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 37 

Word drill — an underwear factory. 

During the garment making, the children began to 
make fashion books. The art supervisor introduced the 
subject in this way : " Now that we have started to dress 
our dolls, let us play that our room is a dressmaking and 
tailoring shop. What do dressmakers and tailors use to' 
help their customers decide hoW they want garments 
made? " (" Fashion books.") 

The teacher had gathered a number of books showing 
styles for all the members of the family. The children 
first copied the illustrations they liked best, so as to get 
some idea of how to make pictures of garments to go into 
their own fashion books. Each family decided to have 
a book of its own, and one larger book was to be made 
for the art teacher who guided this series of lessons. The 
books' consisted of sheets of light gray, green, or tan art 
paper, perforated, and tied together with raffia. As each 
garment was developed, the best of the patterns cut by 
each family and the best picture of that garment, carefully 
cut out after drawing and coloring, were mounted, side by 
side, on one sheet. By the time the dolls were completely 
dressed, the books were finished, each containing union 
suits, petticoats, dresses, shirts, trousers, capes, hats, caps, 
shoes and stockings — some on figures, others separate. 
Regard for harmony of color, for good arrangement and 
spacing, for careful mounting, and for the fitness of the 
garment's style were some of the valuable by-products of 
this project. 

The next garments made were the little white petti- 
coats for the female and the shirts for the male members of 
the families. This problem called for further application 
of measuring, with its drill in number facts, more practice 
in pattern making and in buying, cutting, and sewing, with 
the additional new features of putting lace on the petti- 
coats, and an introduction to the source of cotton. 



38 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

The opening question, " What kind of material shall 
we use?" was followed up by "What are yours made 
of ? " One child was sent over to second grade for sam- 
ples of material which might be used. These were dis- 
cussed, comparing qualities with prices — i ct. an inch, 
2 cts. an inch, etc. The dolls needing cotton shirts were 
counted ; then the number that must have muslin under- 
skirts was ascertained. 

" Where did the cotton for this shirt " — ^pointing to 
John's — " come from? Where was it before the factory 
got it? How did it look?" Cotton bolls were passed 
among the children and pictures of a cotton field were 
shown. Then a brief story of the cotton's journey from 
field to store was told, in somewhat this way : 

"If this cotton cloth could talk, it might say, ' Balls 
like this were picked from the bushes and sent to a place 
where the seeds and dirt were taken out. Then the re- 
mainder took a ride to the mill, and there it was changed 
into long threads like these.' " Some of the warp threads 
and the filling of a piece of coarse cotton cloth, which had 
been raveled, were shown. It would be fine to have a set 
of specimens, which can be obtained from the nearest 
cotton mill or Commercial Museum, showing the various 
stages, from the carded mass, through the twisting pro- 
cesses, to the finished yarn. " Next these threads were 
woven into cloth like this (showing samples, or pointing 
to John's shirt) and sent to the stores." 

" Do you know of other things than shirts and petti- 
coats for which we need cotton cloth ? Think of as many 
such things as you can before to-morrow. Tell your 
mother the story of cotton and ask her to help you find 
other things which come from these soft white balls which 
grow in warmer places than this." 

Before the first-grade children made their first pur- 
chases of clothing materials at the Model Department 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 39 

Store (see page 36), they received a letter from the 
second grade announcing that their new Dry Goods De- 
partment was now ready for business. The question, 
" What is the poHte thing to do with this? " ehcited the 
reply, " Write an answer." So the first-graders wrote 
their first letter. 

" Dear Second Grade, 

" Thank you. We will come. 

" First Grade." 

This was practiced, first on the board, then on large 
sheets of paper. The best specimen was sent to the store. 

Next, dresses were made for mother and sisters, while 
fathers and brothers were being provided with trousers. 
This work afforded a review of pattern making and all 
the other skills begun before, as well as more buying, 
giving another opportunity for selection and for the weigh- 
ing of values, while new interest came in choosing colors 
and trimming. Some of the dresses were made of silk, 
but only a few very simple facts concerning this material 
were taught. In beginning the making of trousers, the 
children played that Mamma Doll and Brother Doll were 
talking to each other, the dolls being used as puppets. 
The conversation ran somewhat like this: 

" Mother dear, I need a pair of trousers ; please get 
them for me." 

" You shall have a pair of trousers. First grade will 
make them for you." 

When it was time to make the capes, the teacher said, 
"It is getting cold. What do you wear to keep you 
warm out-of-doors? What can we do for our dolls? 
What can they wear that will be more easily made 
than coats? " 

In cutting the capes the children were introduced to 
the circle, this design being the easiest for seamstresses so 



40 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

inexperienced. In connection with the choice of mate- 
rials, there was some study of the source and the prepara- 
tion of wool. " Little Boy Blue " and " Baa, baa, black 
sheep " were taught and both were worked out on 
the sand table. 

So the next reading lesson took the form of this 
little rhyme : 

" Please give me a cape 

For my dolly so dear. 
That she may not be cold 
When winter is here." 

The use of the words, " coat," " cape," "cold," gave 
the occasion for teaching the sound of " c hard." In drill- 
ing on the words of this jingle, the teacher first put the 
following work on the board, the children eagerly watch- 
ing every stroke of the crayon : 

" Please give me 

For my so , 



That may cold 

When is ." 

Then she said, " Someone may make believe that she 
is dolly and wants the right words put into those spaces 
so that first grade can read the rhyme and get to work on 
the cape, for the weather is getting chilly." . . . "All 
right ; Katherine now is dolly." 

So Katherine goes to the board and points out the 
words as the teacher needs them to fill the blanks in 
regular order. As soon as this can be done readily, the 
teacher draws a cape on the board and writes in it the 
words of the rhyme. She points to a blank at random, 
and the child first tells what word is needed and then 
finds it in the cape, the teacher writing it as before while 
the child is allowed to erase the word in the cape. Still 
another form of drill may be given by allowing a child 



CUKRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 41 

to point out any word in the cape which he recognizes, 
asking another child to show in which blank it should go, 
the word then being transferred from cape to stanza. 

Every lesson after its development in script on the 
board was printed on a large sheet of oak tag, thus build- 
ing up the Family Chart. Perception cards were also 
made and both were frequently used for review and drill. 
Such work as this was often carried on : A chart was hung 
upon the wall, and its perception cards were displayed 
about the room. One girl, playing mother, wanted to 
make a dress. She asked the class for the things she 
needed. " I need the pattern." " Give me the needle." 
" Some one please get the hem for me." The aim was to 
vary the method of asking, as well as the method of finding 
or delivering the cards. The child who found the most 
words might be allowed to propose a new game, or to be 
" mother " if the children still wanted to play this one. 

One day, after the completion of the dresses, capes, 
etc., a number of interesting advertisements came over 
from the Model Store. They were shoe and stocking ads, 
which suggested to the children a new need for their dolls. 
The discussion which resulted prepared the way for the 
next reading lesson. The dolls are supposed to be talking. 

'' Our pink toes are cold. 
And we are too old 

Not to have stockings and shoes; 
So father and mother, 
Sister and brother. 

From these ads, please help us to choose," 

The children themselves decided that they couldn't 
make shoes and stockings. Some of the reasons which 
they gave for this inability were : " The kid is too hard to 
stick through." " The shoes and stockings are too small." 
So they were quite ready to buy them. The new element 



42 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

in this shopping trip was the taking of the dolls to the 
store to have their stockings and shoes tried on. The 
children learned the " pair " and " right and left " in the 
course of this phase of the project. 

For the word drill, a large shoe and stocking were 
drawn on the board. The stocking belonged to the girls ; 
the shoe to the boys. A team race was proposed. Each 
word recognized by a girl was written in the stocking, 
while the shoe received the boys' trophies. When the 
perception cards were all disposed of, more than half the 
words were found in the stocking, so the girls were 
applauded by the boys. 

The stories, " Goody Two-Shoes " and " Cinderella," 
were told and retold while the children were dressing the 
feet of their dolls. To add to their enjoyment, the puppet 
show to which one of the other grades invited the little 
families proved to be Cinderella! 

The Shoemaker's Dance formed part of the physical 
education work at this time. In an original shoe-and- 
stocking game, two children joined hands to form a 
" shoe," enclosing a third child, the " stocking." As many 
groups as possible having thus been formed, one or two 
odd stockings were left shoeless. At a signal from the 
teacher or from a child leader, all the stockings slipped 
out under the joined hands to find another shoe, the odd 
stocking trying hard not to be " odd " this time. 

Supplying each member of the family with a hat or 
cap was one of the most difficult but one of the most 
interesting parts of the work. The materials used were 
felt, pieces of old stocking, straw, raffia, silk, and velvet, 
with crinoline for frames in a few cases. One of the 
aims was to teach the children how to name certain kinds 
of hats and to recognize the materials making a hat. The 
first step after the expression of a need for hats or caps 
was to put before the children hats showing the materials 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 43 

just listed. There was a fair representation of varieties 
among the children's own head coverings and these were 
supplemented from the Normal students' cloakroom. After 
the first lesson with the actual hats, the children tried 
to draw some of them as guides in planning the hats and 
caps they meant to make. Then the models were removed 
and the children drew pictures from memory or imagina- 
tion, and colored them. The attempt was made to have 
design and color fit the dress and cape of the doll. The 
material was then bought in the second grade. While in 
the store the children noticed the fine hats in the newly 
opened Millinery Department and expressed a desire to 
buy some of them. They were also captivated by the big, 
persuasive " HAT OPENING " poster which had been 
put up in the hall, beside the door of the Model Store. So 
they were allowed to buy one hat or cap, with the under- 
standing that each should make another for his or her doll. 
That the doll should have two hats was incentive enough, 
and the fine " bought " ones served as guides to the inex- 
perienced milliners of first grade. 

To add to the success of the Model Store's hat opening, 
the kindergarten band had been engaged to play for the 
occasion. So the second graders sold hats to the first 
graders while the " kinder " played gaily, using blocks — 
some with and some without sandpaper — a triangle, a tam- 
bourine, and a drum, the theme being carried on the piano 
by the teacher. The third grade had been invited to see 
the opening, and the whole affair was a very happy one. 
The dolls, of course, had to try the hats on to make sure 
they were becoming and this process, as well as the packing 
of the purchases in the prettily decorated hat boxes which 
had been made by the Model Store people, helped to make 
the opening an interesting event. 

During the hat work in the first grade there was some 
little study of feathers. The tying of knots and the making 



44 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

of bows — ^two skills rather difficult for children of this 
age — were easily learned under the strong desire to make 
their hats as pretty as those they had bought. 

While the doll making and doll dressing were going 
on, the club work progressed regularly and the family 
activities in the school shaped themselves more definitely 
around the very practical problems of living, working, and 
playing together in groups. Holidays as they came along 
were recognized in the families. These celebrations were 
usually inter-grade affairs, each room contributing some- 
thing. For instance, the first grade invited the other two 
" to spend Christmas with the families living on Good 
Children Street " — for this was the name that had been 
decided upon by the families. 

For this party each family was expected to make 
some definite offering in the way of entertainment. In 
preparation for this, " 'Twas the night before Christmas " 
was read to the children, who then reproduced it on the 
sand table. One family was selected — or rather elected, 
because of good work on this little project — to tell the 
sand-table story at the party. Another family made a little 
dance called " Christmas Brownies " — a skipping, hop- 
ping, and bowing affair. One family told the Christmas 
story; another, selected by the music teacher as having 
done the best work during the teaching of the song, sang 
a Christmas song. Thd fifth family read a Christmas story 
from one of the little readers which the grade had been 
using in their intervals of leisure resulting from especially 
diligent and successful work. 

One feature of the Christmas season which brought the 
families great joy was the gift from the teacher of five 
little balsam firs. Each was placed in the center of one 
of the large " family " tables which determined the usual 
seating arrangement in the grade. The trees arrived a few 
days before the party and were trimmed by the respective 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 45 

families. This was done without any direction or 
supervision other than that which they received from one 
another as members of a family group. The decora- 
tions were supplied by the teacher, supplemented by 
the children's contributions from home, and the results 
were beautiful. 

After the families' Christmas party, all the grades 
of the Training School were invited into the gymnasium, 
to sing around the big Christmas tree and to receive their 
gifts of candy and oranges from the principal of the 
Normal School. Each " father " carried his family's little 
tree into the gymnasium and the five were proudly placed 
in a circle at the base of the beautiful large tree. 

A fine opportunity for art work was afforded by the 
making of the large " Good Children Street " poster, which 
served, in addition, two very practical purposes. First, it 
provided a covering for the glass partition which separated 
the room from the hall through which Normal School 
classes were constantly passing; second, it served to tell 
other people what first grade was doing. The introduc- 
tion of this problem was brought about thus : 

Said the supervisor, " The other day some one asked 
me what our first-grade boys and girls were doing. I 
replied, * Playing family.' Now isn't there some way 
in which we might let people, for example, those teachers 
and Normal School girls who pass through the halls 
so frequently, know what we are doing without being 
obliged to ask some one, or even to come into the room? " 
Other questions were — " How shall we show that there 
is more than one family on this street?" "What else 
would you like to have in the picture?" ("People." 
"Sidewalk." "Trees." "Grass." "Wagons." "Autos.") 
" How shall we make the street pretty?" " On the way 
home notice the streets that you walk through and tell us 
to-morrow what makes them attractive." 



46 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

The children reported the next day that the streets 
were clean, the houses built nicely, the sidewalks clean; 
there were grass and trees in front of some of the houses. 
These observations gave the children ideas upon which to 
work. Pictures of houses, mounted, were brought from 
the public library for the children to see. They were 
encouraged to cut pictures of pretty houses from the 
advertisements in old magazines. Finally, they cut out of 
wrapping paper, or even newspaper, patterns or shapes of 
houses, to try them on the foundation paper of the poster, 
which was about three yards long and a yard wide. 

It was eventually decided that each family's house 
should appear on the poster, so the work became a group 
problem. The best house patterns were selected; then 
patterns for road, sidewalk, and trees were cut and placed 
on the large sheet of paper to get the proper proportions. 
All the patterns having been decided upon, various color 
schemes were tried out and one was chosen. Then the 
patterns were laid on the colored papers, each on the 
shade that had been selected for that object; the outline 
was drawn and then cut out. Finally each part of the 
picture was pasted in its proper position on the foundation 
sheet. The result was a very attractive cut-paper poster 
in harmonious colors, which did much to brighten a dark 
and dingy school hall. At the same time, this unit of art 
work was a preliminary and very suggestive step toward 
the making of homes for the doll families, the next stage 
in the development of family life. 

While the poster was making, the work of dressing 
the dolls was being rounded out by a series of lessons on 
teaching the dolls how to take care of their clothes, and 
another on paying the dressmakers, the tailors, and the 
milliners. Some of the questions in the first series were : 
^' After your mother has made your new dresses, what 
does she tell you the first time you wear them ? " 




GOOD CHILDREN STREET POSTER 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 47 

" What do you do when you try to take care of 
your clothes ? " 

" Now, you Httle mothers of the doll families, who 
have made some fine clothes, must teach your children the 
things you try to do for your mothers." The following 
list of good habits was gleaned from the children's talks to 
their dolls: 

i: Wash clothes often. 

2. Do not wait till the clothes are very dirty. 

3. Keep body clean. 

4. Brush clothes. 

5. Keep them on hangers. 

6. Put clothes in the air at night. 

7. Wear aprons and overalls. 

8. Brush hats when dusty. 

9. Put hats away in boxes after wearing. 

10. Don't throw hats in the dirt. (A favorite pastime 

at recess.) 

11. Brush and polish shoes. 

12. Wash stockings often. 

13. Change and wash underwear often. 

The children performed very conscientiously the duty of 
teaching the dolls these rules, and these lessons did actually 
work over to a large extent into good personal habits 
and better care of the children's own clothing. 

When it came to paying the bills, the teacher was made 
the head dressmaker, the children her assistants. 

" Now that we dressmakers have delivered the gar- 
ments to our customers (the dolls), what must they do? " 
("Pay for them.") 

" How will they know how much to pay? " (" We 
must send them bills." ) 

" Then let us begin to make out the bills this morning." 

The teacher put the names of the garments on the 



48 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

board in pairs, since the children's ability to add was 
limited to two figures. 

Girls' bills. Union suit.. 4 cts. Dress 9 cts. 1 

Petticoat ... 3 cts. Cape 5 cts. I . 

7 cts. 14 cts. j 



Boys' bills. Union suit.. 4 cts. 
Shirt 7 cts. 



etc. 



II cts. 



When the children had learned how to do this, paper 
and pencil were given to them and they were allowed to 
charge what they pleased. The bills were collected, to be 
sent. The next day the children became dolls and paid the 
bills. After the errors in addition were checked and cor- 
rected, the bills were marked " Pd." and the teacher's 
initials added. The change was given only when the child 
could tell what it should be. The need for more skill in 
addition and subtraction was discovered and rediscovered 
to the child in these transactions, and he was brought to 
the point of a real desire for drill. 

The work on dressing the dolls was then closed Dy 
playing that they wrote " Thank you " letters for the 
clothes that they were wearing. 

" You have bought or made the dolls' clothes," said 
the teacher. " I know they'd like to thank you for them. 
If they could talk, what do you think they would say? " 

So the children helped to word this letter as the 
teacher wrote it on the board : 

" Dear First Grade, 

" I want to thank you for my clothes. They are very 
pretty. I wore them to a party. We had ice cream. 

" Dolly." 

Final Drills. — ^All the garments were drawn on the 
board. The drill involved words, phrases, and sentences. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON" 49 

Those belonging to the shirt were put under the picture 
of the shirt, etc. These drills took a great variety 
of forms. 

By the time the dolls were completely dressed and 
had presumably learned how to take care of their clothes, 
it became a very pressing problem for the teacher to find a 
way to take care of them during the long working out 
of the house-building project. The children loved them 
so that it looked as though they would be " played " com- 
pletely out of existence before homes could be provided 
for them. Nor was it wise to put them away to lie until 
that time in a box or drawer, lest interest die. Even a 
nightly packing away in the only drawer available in the 
room involved much loss of time next morning in the 
sorting-out process. So several yards of elastic webbing 
were bought and cut into strips of appropriate size. Each 
of these was slipped through two vertical slits in a large 
sheet of cardboard and its ends sewed together on the 
wrong side, to make a band through which the doll could 
be slipped. The families, each on its own sheet, could 
easily be laid in the drawer at the close of the school day 
and stood up next morning on the window sill, in the 
chalk trough, or on the family tables, to watch and stimu- 
late the progress of the building. A doll was taken out 
of its " life preserver " only when some especial need for 
measuring, etc., arose in the course of the building or 
furnishing, or when it became desirable to give one family 
or one child a special reward or " treat." 

(d) Building Homes. — The idea had arisen, without 
need for even the most roundabout suggestion, that each 
family would house its own members, so work on the five 
homes was begun in an atmosphere full of interest and 
expectation. The children were taken out for a walk with 
the aim of seeing houses critically, noticing especially their 
general shape. In the meantime, thirty soap or canned 
4 



50 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

goods boxes were brought into the room. Six of these, 
of uniform size and shape, were given to each family, 
to form the skeleton structure of its house. The children 
were told that they might put the boxes together as they 
wished, but that it would be more interesting if no two 
houses were exactly alike. The result was five very dif- 
ferent arrangements, each very attractive. 

I, General Plan (Room Arrangement). — "What 
must a carpenter know before he can begin to build a 
house? " (The necessity for plans was developed.) 

" What must the owner of the house tell the builder in 
order that the plans may be drawn?" ("How many 
rooms and how they are to be arranged.") 

" How did the carpenter who built this schoolroom 
arrange to let light and air come into it and to let us get 
in and out ? " 

" Where will you put the windows and doors in your 
houses ? " The families arranged their boxes and decided 
the position of windows and outside doors. 

" How shall the dolls get from one room to another? 
How large must the doors be? " (" Large enough for the 
tallest doll to walk through." The dolls themselves were 
first used to measure the height; then rulers.) 

The measuring of windows and doors on the boxes 
afforded a fine opportunity for drill in drawing straight 
lines with rulers, in measuring, in determining the spacing 
of openings on each side of the house and in each room. 
The cutting of these openings introduced the children to 
two new tools, the brace-and-bit and the saw. Each child 
did the sawing needed in one room of the house. The 
stronger boys helped the little girls, for whom. this work 
was hard since the endboards of the boxes were so thick. 

When the work on the houses began, the story of 
" This is the house that Jack built " was given to the 
children and worked out on the sand table. After it was 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 51 

learned the children inade their own story, based on this 
old folk tale: 

" This is the house that the Healys own. 
This is the carpenter who built the house that the 

Healys own. 
This is the wood that the carpenter used to build the 

house, etc. 
This is the pencil that marked the wood that the car- 
penter used to build the house, etc. 
This is the ruler that helped the pencil that marked the 

wood, etc. 
This is the line that was helped by the ruler that helped 

the pencil, etc. 
This is the saw that sawed the line that was helped, etc. 
This is the door that the saw cut out when it sawed the 

line, etc. 
This is the nail that nailed the door that the saw cut 

out, etc. 
This is the hammer that drove in the nail that nailed the 

door, etc." 

All the things mentioned in this story were drawn 
around the room on the blackboard and the story was also 
illustrated more concretely by letting the children make 
the carpenter's tools out of plasticene. 

2. Inside Finish. — The suggestion, " Look at the win- 
dows and doors in this room and then at those you have 
just made. How do they differ? " brought out the need 
for a finish, so the children set to work to measure, cut, 
and attach window and door frames, as well as surbases. 
This accomplished, the woodwork and the floors were care- 
fully sandpapered in preparation for varnishing. Here 
again each child was responsible for one room in the house, 
the boxes having not yet been fastened together. 



52 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

The time for papering the rooms had now come. To 
begin the development of good, taste in wall papering, as 
well as to start the children in the use of brush and 
watercolors, a dealer's sample book was obtained. The 
children's choices were directed by such questions as : 

" What kind of paper makes the room seem larger? " 
" What kind makes the ceilings seem higher? " " What 
colors make you feel cheerful?" "What colors make 
the room seem warmer? " " What colors would be likely 
to please most of our guests? " " Therefore, what shall 
we use in sitting room and dining room? " 

Many of the children were very anxious to make gaily 
flowered wall paper. To give some outlet for expression 
in this direction and at the same time cultivate a taste for 
plain paper, they were asked, " How may we brighten 
these rooms and at the same time make them seem as 
large as possible?" (Use a flowered or figured or 
striped border.) 

" What colors would you like in the bedrooms? " 

"What in the kitchen and bathroom?" (Small-fig- 
ured, so that spots may not show so readily. ) 

The children of each family made the final decision as 
to the colors for their own house. For practice in mixing 
the paints and handling the brush, every child made sam- 
ples of the various colors, which were offered to the whole 
class for criticism. Stick printing on quadrille paper was 
used for borders and for bathroom and kitchen papers. 

All the children helped to make paper for their house 
and every child papered one room. The child who pro- 
duced the prettiest tint appropriate for a bedroom was 
chosen to paper this room, such adjustments as proved 
necessary being made in the case of the other rooms. 
Some very pretty tints were produced, as well as some 
very original designs in borders and in kitchen and bath- 
room papers. The schoolroom was transformed for the 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 53 

time being into a paper-hanging establishment, each child 
fitting his paper around doors and windows and pasting it 
to the walls. This proved one of the most difficult tasks 
attempted, and the results were very crude. The problem, 
however, served its purpose. 

J. Outside Finish. — The general appearance of the 
houses was far from satisfying the children. They pro- 
posed to paint them, but some of the boxes were marked 
with big black letters and bands of red paint, which it 
would have been impossible to cover without applying sev- 
eral coats. The}'' had met a real difficulty and they set to 
work at once to overcome it. The teacher threw out a 
hint in the form of a question. " Do you all want your 
houses to be frame? " This was all that was needed to 
start a discussion as to the materials they had seen houses 
made of, and a consideration of ways and means of carry- 
ing out their desire to have no two houses on Good Chil- 
dren Street built of the same material. Finally, they 
decided that there should be one frame house nicely painted 
(the boxes composing this house not having been heavily 
marked), one brick house, one of cement, one of stone, 
and one a combination of frame and pebble-dash. 

Since so many bricks were needed to cover the box- 
skeleton of a house, all the families helped to make bricks. 
Most of these were shaped by hand, but a few of the chil- 
dren made molds of bits of wood, into which they packed 
the clay. The bricks measured about 3 in. x i^ x 34, 
When the bricks had dried sufficiently, the children took 
them to a pottery nearby, where they were fired. 

The families visited the Model Store to see how the 
second-graders had made the cement end-walls of the 
store building. While they were there, the teacher raised 
the question of how they could fasten their bricks and 
stones to the box-skeletons of the houses, since it was not 
practicable for them to build solid walls of brick or stone. 



64 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

They easily caught the idea of naiHng strips of wood along 
all edges, including windows and doors, and filling the 
enclosed areas with a very thin layer of cement, in which 
the bricks or stones might be embedded. Measuring, 
sawing, and nailing the %-in. x ^-in. strips used for 
this purpose gave another opportunity for reviewing 
these processes. 

The bricks were brought from the kiln, painted red 
(since potter's clay, being very accessible, had been used 
instead of brick clay), and set in a bed of cement on the 
house wall. The stone house was made in the same way, 
using rather large stones, fitted together as closely as 
possible. For the pebble-dash, small pebbles were scat- 
tered in a thicker layer of cement. In the case of the 
cement house, the mixture was poured into the spaces 
needing it so as to fill them completely. When the shal- 
low layer of cement used on the first houses had hardened, 
the children found to their great delight that the stones 
and bricks " stuck " very well and " the houses looked like 
real houses, excepting the roofs " ; " and there are no 
doorsteps and porches;" and "the strips holding the 
cement and forming door and window frames ought to be 
painted." So these matters were attended to. 

Three kinds of roof were used ; two were covered with 
tar" paper, two were shingled, and one was covered with 
tin and painted red. All the wood on the outside of the 
houses was painted, the color being a matter of family 
choice. The planning, constructing, and placing of the 
piazzas and porches formed another family project. 
Bricks, the lids of some of the house boxes, cigar and 
other small boxes, with spools or pieces of broomstick for 
columns, furnished the materials. The diverse results 
appear, to some extent, in the pictures of Good Children 
Street, which face this page and page 55. 



p i 




CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 55 

While the houses were building there were many 
interesting reading lessons. For example : 

" We are little carpenters, 
Working day by day, 
Making homes for dollies, 
A place for them to stay." 

They finally learned to read " This is the house that 
the Healeys owned," which had delighted them when 
they " built " it but which had been too long a story 
for them to master at the time it was put together. In 
the meanwhile it had been copied into the Family Books, 
and the teacher's occasional reading of it aloud had been 
considered a great treat. 

There was a whole series of informational reading 
lessons built on the various materials used. The children 
were started on this track thus : 

" Suppose the wood spoke to you about itself, what 
do you think it might say? " 

" Take me," says the wood. 

" I lived in the forest. 

" I was one of those large, large trees. 

" Men chopped me down. 

" They carried me to the sawmill. 

" There I was cut into pieces. 

" Now I am smooth and even. 

" I am called boards. 

" Use me for your house." 

Lessons about the other materials are given in the 
Appendix. 

An interesting drill was begun by drawing the outlines 
of several houses upon the board. " I have some houses 
here which I want filled in with bricks. Let's play that 
each word on the chart is a brick. I will point to a word 



56 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

and if you can tell me what it is, I'll write it on the house. 
Let us see how many houses we can finish to-day." 

4. Sanitary Fixtures. — After roofs, piazzas, and out- 
side painting were finished, the teacher suggested that the 
families had better " inspect " the houses to see whether 
they were completed inside and ready for furnishing. 

"Why, no! The bathroom isn't finished." " And the 
kitchen hasn't a sink in it." " Nor tubs." 

Then the assignment was made. " Look at home and 
decide by to-morrow how to make the things we need for 
kitchen and bathroom. Bring pictures of bathrooms. 
Where can you find these ? " ( " In the magazines." " My 
father works at Haddock's, and he can give me some of 
their ads.") 

The problem worked out into having each child-mem- 
ber of a family make one of the six pieces of pottery 
needed — bathtub, lavatory, toilet seat, kitchen sink, and 
two laundry tubs. These were modeled first in plasticene, 
in order to discover the methods each one had in mind 
and to establish proper sizes. Each family decided, after 
inspecting these models, which of its members should 
make each piece and laid down in an informal way certain 
specifications. They were fired when finished and then 
coated with shellac to make them sufficiently waterproof 
for such use as they would receive. The family producing 
the best bathroom fixtures was rewarded by receiving tiles 
to make the floor of their bathroo'm, the teacher happening 
to have a few of the tiny porcelain discs such as are set in 
plaster to form " real " bathroom floors. 

Finding the cost of the house after they were finished, 
so that the first-grade families might know what to charge 
the doll families who were waiting to buy or rent a home, 
was an important piece of business. It involved arith- 
metical operations which most of the children couldn't 
perform; but there were two or three especially quick at 



2 S 




CUimiCULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON" 57 

figures and here was an opportunity for them to make a 
special contribution. They helped work out the prices 
for each house. 

Cost of boxes 60 cts. 

Cost of bricks 30 cts. 

90 cts. 

Cost of cement 35 cts. 

Cost of stones 42 cts. 

"jy cts. 

Cost of wood for outside finish 34 cts. 

Cost of window and door frames, etc 45 cts. 

79 cts. 

Cost of papering 64 cts. 

Cost of painting 31 cts. 

95 cts. 

Cost of bathtub, etc. . 90 cts. 

Cost of kitchen tubs 70 cts. 

160 cts. 

Cost of all * 90 cts. 

y'] cts. 

79 cts. 

95 cts. 

160 cts. 

501 cts. 
(Five dollars and one cent) 

The student teacher who handled the house-building 
project, being unable to find a story appropriate for her 
purpose, made one -called " The Tool Family." 

Once upon a time there was a family that lived near 
the woods, called the Tool Family. There were Hammer 
Tool, Saw Tool, Axe Tool, Plane Tool, Nail Tool, Father, 
* Here the teacher helped. 



58 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Mother, and Alice. One day Alice said, " Oh, I wish I had 
a little house for my doll. Kathryn has one for hers." 

Brother Axe looked at her and said, " Well, keep on 
wishing and maybe a kind fairy will bring you one some 
fine day." 

That night, after Alice went to bed. Axe said to his 
brothers, " Why can't we build her a little house for her 
doll? We can all help." So they agreed to help build the 
little house for Alice's birthday. 

Axe Tool went to the forest and cut down a tree. 

Saw Tool sawed it into boards. 

Plane Tool made the boards smooth. 

Nail Tool called in a lot of his friends to help him hold 
the boards together. 

Hammer Tool put in the nails. 

Father was the contractor. 

Mother furnished the house. 

And Alice jumped for joy when she saw it on the 
morning of her birthday. 

The children so enjoyed this story that they begged 
for another. The teacher told them that she had just 
made this story up, whereupon a child said, " I can make 
one up, too." He tried, and after he had made some 
vain attempts to get " the right start " the teacher said, 
" Suppose we all make a story together. Who shall be- 
gin?" The children chorused, "You!" This was 
the story : 

Many little wood brownies were asleep in a dark 
room. It was very quiet. Every one was as still as he 
could be. Suddenly the door opened. " Whom do I 
hear?" whispered one sleepy little brownie. "Oh," he 
cried joyously, in a minute, " it is the carpenter giant." 
Then all the other little brownies jumped up and laughed 
with delight. (The children here took up the story.) 

"Why are you little brownies so happy?" said the 
giant. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 59 

" Oh, we are going to be made into beautiful furni- 
ture, we are ! we are ! we are ! " 

The carpenter giant began to rattle his tools and get 
ready to work. 

" Please make me into a chair," said a wee little 
brownie. 

" Make me into a table," said another brownie. 

" Make me into a sideboard," said another brownie, 

" Make me into a bed," said another brownie. 

The carpenter giant worked and worked. At the end 
of his long, busy day he proudly looked at the fine furni- 
ture he had made. (The teacher continued.) 

And what do you think he heard ? Every brownie that 
lived in those pieces of furniture sang: 

" We are all so happy and glad, 

Happy and glad, 

Happy and glad. 
We are all so happy and glad, 
Now that we are made. 
We will make the families sing. 

Families sing, 

Families sing, 
We will make the families sing, 
When the bills are paid." 

(e) Furnishing the Houses. — The way for this project 
had been well paved by the wood brownies story, and 
the children took it up with the greatest interest. In order 
to have them learn what furniture is usually poit into each 
room in the house, a series of reading lessons was worked 
out, beginning with : 

" Please furnish me," says the kitchen. 
" I need only a stove, a table, and a chair, 
" You have already made my sink and my tubs." 
For drill on these lessons, a large van was sketched 
on the board, and the class played " Moving Day." The 
van was filled with " furniture " (words). " Who wants 



60 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

to help get things out so that the driver may load up 
again? ", etc. 

The actual making of the furniture was preceded by 
a visit from some of the proud cabinet makers of second 
grade, who had been working for some weeks on a com- 
plete set of furniture for one house, and who now came 
to set it in place, to get the whole effect. The first-grade 
children were very greatly pleased and asked at once 
whether they might not " buy " it. But the delegation 
said that it was to be a gift from the Model Store to their 
very good customers, the families of the first grade. 

" But it isn't fair to put all the furniture in one house," 
soon came from the children. Then the principle of appor- 
tionment had to be decided. All sorts of suggestions were 
made by the children. The supervisor finally proposed 
that the family that had helped most by learning to read 
well all the house-building lessons should have first choice 
of a set of furniture for one room, the next best having 
second choice, etc. This involved a test, and as a meeting 
of the critic teachers under whom the state practice teach- 
ing was in progress had been called for that week, it was 
decided to use this test and the awarding of the prizes 
as a sample of the kind of work that was being done in this 
triple inter-grade experiment. The victors chose the sit- 
ting room furniture, which included even a piano! 

These little sets of furniture, which were really remark- 
ably well made considering the age of the workmen, not 
only gave the first-graders ideas for their own work but 
set a standard which they worked hard to attain and 
which was much more valuable than could have been fur- 
nished by the machine perfection of ordinary toy furniture. 

Each family then had to make four sets to complete 
the furnishing of their home. The leaders developed 
very soon, though every child " did his bit." The furni- 
ture was very simply constructed out of thin strips of soft 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 61 

wood, of varying width, which the children cut into the 
required lengths. The families planned the details and 
were given entire freedom to try out their plans. They 
frequently sought help, and at such times it was freely 
given. The results were crude, of course;, but considering 
that the children did their own measuring, sawing, sand- 
papering, and nailing, they were fairly satisfactory. The 
painting of the furniture followed the construction of the 
pieces. The children chose the kind of paint they wanted. 
For the most part, they selected mission brown stain for 
sitting room, a dark blue for dining room, white or buif 
for bedrooms, and white for the kitchen. 

When she was ready for the furniture drill work, 
the teacher said, " A sale to-day ! I'm going to see how 
much you can buy. I'm selling furniture, or words that 
belong to the furnishing of our houses." 

The charts containing the reading material on furni- 
ture were brought forward and the heading, " Articles 
Sold," written high on the board. Then words were 
rapidly " sold " by the child's pronouncing them as fast 
as the teacher pointed to them, the teacher then writing 
the word under the heading and putting the purchaser's 
name after the word, to permit scoring. After the drill 
was started, children were allowed tO' be salesmen as well 
as buyers. The teacher left the list on the board, saying, 
"To-morrow we'll buy the house. Think of a game you'd 
like to play with the house and these words." Next day 
a child suggested, " Moving into the house," and the 
furniture-words were written in the proper rooms of the 
house which was rapidly sketched on the board. Later, 
the game, " Cleaning house," was suggested and played 
with great enthusiasm. The furniture was all taken out 
and then put back again. The best cleaners were those 
children who took out or put back, i.e.^ recognized and 
pronounced carefully, the most words. 



62 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

(f) Going to Housekeeping. — The families now moved 
in and played " going to housekeeping," having decided 
that they could finish " fixing up " while living in the 
'house. The children took great delight in placing the 
furniture and putting the dolls in their new homes, and 
the cardboard easels, with their elastic " life-preservers," 
were permanently retired. 

For a time little " regular " work was done, the chil- 
dren being so eager to play with their dolls. They were 
allowed to do this and a good deal of incidental teaching of 
good manners and gentle living was accomplished. 

I. Getting Settled. — While the interest still ran high, 
attention was called to the fact that several more things 
were needed to make the little families completely com- 
fortable and happy in their new homes, and a list of these 
essentials was made — rugs, curtains, pictures, gardens. 

There was not time enough left to undertake the mak- 
ing of all these, so the children were allowed to decide 
whether they would buy the rugs or the curtains. Having 
seen the Carpet Department of the Model Store, they 
wanted to buy rugs. The dolls were taken to the store 
to have a voice in the choosing. Woven silk rag rugs 
were selected for sitting room and bedroom floors; 
braided raffia for kitchen and bath. At the same time 
curtain material was bought and the measuring of win- 
dows (another review) was followed by the measuring, 
cutting and sewing of the curtains. 

The final finishing touches were put on the new house 
by the selection of pictures to adorn the walls. For this 
purpose the tiny Brown pictures were purchased by the 
teacher. Selections were made from the hundred subjects 
put before the children, after some study of the appro- 
priateness of the picture that the child liked to the room 
for which he wanted it. The main purpose in the 
teacher's mind, however, was to bring the children into 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 63 

contact with many of the good pictures which they ought 
to love throughout their lives, and thus to begin early the 
development of taste in the selection of pictures for homes. 
These little bits of real art were mounted and put into the 
gray, brown, and black cardboard frames which the chil- 
dren made. Each family had the pleasure of hanging the 
pictures as soon as the framing was completed. 

During this picture study the children began to illus- 
trate their own Family Books. This work was initiated 
by one child, before the teacher had even conceived the 
idea. Being deeply interested in the pictures in the little 
readers which the children were allowed to take from the 
closet whenever they had finished the task in hand, he 
said one day, in a very wistful tone, " I'd like to read my 
Family Book much more if it had pictures in it." The 
supervisor responded by saying, " Well, you helped to 
make the book; why didn't you make pictures? " There- 
upon the children began a careful re-reading of the stories 
— the finest kind of review — for the purpose of deciding 
upon a method of illustrating them. Unfortunately the 
student teacher then in charge accepted anything a child 
offered in the way of a picture, instead of holding him 
to the standard of his best work, so the actual outcome of 
the project was poor; but it has great possibilities. 

2. Making Gardens. — By the time the children were 
ready to consider gardens for their doll homes, the spring 
was so far advanced that the school gardens were calling 
for laborers, so it was decided to say that these outdoor 
plots belonged to the doll families. Hence the projecting 
front part of the platform on which the houses of Good 
Children Street stood was merely covered with green 
crepe paper instead of being converted into a shallow, 
water-tight box filled with earth and planted with grass or 
some other quick-growing seed. 

The plot assigned to first grade in the school garden 



64 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

was divided into five portions, one for each family. A 
circular bed in the center of each was filled with flowers, 
verbenas for one family, petunias for another, etc. Around 
these flower beds, vegetables were planted. The little 
families worked faithfully, hoeing and weeding, for each 
was ambitious to have its garden pronounced the best of 
the five, not to speak of their hope to do better than second 
or even third grade. 

J. Family Life. — ^While the dolls' houses were being 
built and furnished, the details of family life were being 
further worked out in club meetings and family gatherings, 
for " the dolls must be taught how to live nicely in their 
fine new homes." This is where a set of play furniture, 
large enough for the children themselves to use, would 
have been very helpful, for many of the children had no 
standards of refined or even healthful living set at home. 

The use of each room formed the substance of an 
interesting* series of reading material. The desire to do 
something in return for the many kindnesses of third 
grade motivated a number of lessons on the sitting room 
and the dining room. Their latest gift was a beautiful 
complete tea set, which they had made and decorated espe- 
cially for the first grade to use. So the families decided 
to entertain third grade at a tea party. To practice for 
this great event, first one family and then another enter- 
tained the other four. " Now what must a family know 
in order to be good hosts — in order to make their guests 
want to come again? " " They must know how to receive 
company, what to talk about, what can be done to enter- 
tain guests." 

Such questions as the following were answered by 
playing out the situations : " What shall the children do 
when the company is brought into the sitting room ? " 
" Who should have the most comfortable seat? " " How 
shall we use our voices? " (" Loud enough for the caller 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 65 

to hear, but not too loud." " Do not interrupt when others 
are speaking," etc.) 

Here is one of the lessons as it actually worked out. 

A knock is heard at the door. Father goes to open it. 

Father — " How do you do ? Come in. I am very glad 
to see you." 

Company — " How do you do ? " 

Father — " Won't you sit down ? " 

Mother — " Isn't this a fine day? We are having such 
good weather and our garden is growing finely." (The 
children's interest in their school garden at this time was 
keen, so they talked a great deal about it.) 

Child — " Yes, we have already had radishes from our 
school garden." (The conversation lagged here.) 

Teacher — " Perhaps our callers would like to know 
more about our school garden." 

Another Child — " You see, we have five school gar- 
dens, for each family has one of its own." (Another gap.) 

Teacher — " The company might think we do nothing 
but garden work at school." 

Third Child — " We do other things at school, too." 

Fourth Child — " We read, write, make bills, buy at the 
store, make houses and furniture, sing, and tell stories." 

Father — " Would you like to hear someone sing? My 
daughter Hannah will sing for you, and play the piano, 
too." (Hannah, who was the leader of the grade in this 
work and dearly loved to imitate " playing the piano," 
sang several solos.) 

Company — " David, won't you get your violin and 
play with Hannah?" (David stepped forward and imi- 
tated playing a violin accompaniment.) 

Hannah (singing) : 

" Wish I had a tiny little fiddle. 
I would hold it underneath my chin. 
Then Fd take my fiddle bow — 
I could play a tune I know — 
Fd bow to the ladies and then I'd begin: 
5 



66 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

' Teedle, teedle, teedle, dum, dum, dum; 
Teedle, teedle, teedle, dee ; 
Teedle, teedle, teedle, dum, dum, dum, 
Teedle, teedle, teedle, dee.' " 

Mother — " Let's have a story." 

(First one child, then another, told a story — " Little 
Boy Blue," etc.) 

Mother — " Now come out into the dining room and 
have a cup of tea." 

(Mother pours tea — water for this rehearsal — and the 
children serve the guests, two carrying the cups, another 
following with cream and sugar, and the fourth carrying 
a plate of cookies. After drinking the tea, they all go out 
on the piazza, and the party breaks up.) 

Frequent playing out of entertaining — conversation 
and performance being changed each time — gave the 
children ideas of good manners which seemed to function 
throughout their life in school together. This grade, 
though made up largely of the " scum of society," the 
children of a low class of foreign laborers as well as those 
of the poorest class of native Americans, had a fine reputa- 
tion for behavior during the whole year ; the writer cannot 
recall a single instance of serious disciplinary difficulty. 
A bathroom lesson was handled as follows : 
The student teacher told this story to the children : 

Once upon a time there was a little room called 
the bathroom. 

The things in it when they were left alone talked to 
one another. 

Let us try to hear what they say. 

The bathtub speaks to the splashing water: 

" Oh, hot water, what makes you steam so much? " 

" I am the water that makes you clean. 

My friend, Mr, Soap, helps me. 

Mr. Cold Water sometimes must help me, too, so 
that my little friends will not burn themselves." 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 67 

The little soldier toothbrushes that stand in a row 
often speak. Listen to them: 

" Here we stand, six little toothbrushes all in a row. 

Yesterday we were very unhappy. 

Do you know why ? 

Our little friend Mary took the one of us that be- 
longs to her and, after using him, she let him He on 
the washstand. 

Oh, how lonesome that little brush was! 

To-day he was put in his proper place. 

This is, what he said to us : 'I am so glad ! I was 
afraid I'd never get back to you again.' " 

Two little brushes said, " That was not as bad as the 
dreadful thing that happened to us to-day. We were not 
used at all! Boo-hoo ! Boo-hoo ! " 

" Oh ! " cried the great, big, rough bathtowel, " I want 
to go home ! Little Johnny came and dried his hands on 
me, and just see where he left me ! He threw me right 
on this little chair. This is not my place. You know 
where I belong, don't you? " 

All the other towels cried, " On the rack ! on the rack ! 
That's the only place for you." 

And do you know, children, one day the whole bath- 
room planned a little chorus. Every one could sing. The 
bathtub was the leader. This is what they sang: 

" Oh, always treat us kindly, 
Oh, always make us glad. 
Put us in our places. 
Never make us sad. 

We want to be your helpers, 
We want to be your friends. 
But if you throw us on the floor, 
Our love for you soon ends." 

This story dehghted the children and they loved to put 
their dolls in the bathroom and tell them how to keep it 
in order. At the same time the importance of bath- 



68 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

ing and of keeping teeth, clothing, and homes clean 
was stressed. 

It became the duty of each family to attend to these 
matters among its members. Each morning there was an 
inspection of hands, nails, teeth, hair, and handkerchiefs. 
At first this was done by the mother. Later the families 
in joint assembly elected a district nurse, who served for 
a week, making a daily call on each family. 

One mother told the supervisor that her little girl not 
only insisted on having a clean handkerchief but wanted 
to go to the mother's box for a pretty handkerchief. 
" She won't think of using a handkerchief with even the 
tiniest hole in it," said the mother. And many of the 
mothers spoke of the regularity with which their children 
brushed their teeth. 

On one occasion tidy Alice was seen off in a corner of 
the schoolroom, braiding the hair of Elizabeth, a careless 
little Italian child, " because everybody in the family but 
her was neat and clean." Alice was the mother and 
Elizabeth the little sister in the Horn family. 

(a) Activities of the Day. — Rising, bathing, dress- 
ing, breakfasting, and packing lunch for father and 
big brother were played out. Other activities will 
suggest themselves to the wide-awake teacher. Wher- 
ever possible, Mother Goose material and well-known 
activity songs, such as " This is the way we wash our 
clothes," were used. The reading hour soon became 
a favorite period in the day and was seldom omitted. 
Posters and advertisements from the Model Store and 
alphabet and number-rhyme books made by the second 
grade for the families furnished some of the material 
for these readings. 

The music and game work proved a close rival of the 
reading in holding the children's interest. Much of the 
singing consisted of lullabies and Mother Goose melodies, 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 69 

and was strongly motivated, since music was needed for 
most of the activities. There were sewing and sawing 
songs, painting and papering songs, songs for the hoHday 
celebrations and for other entertainments, as well as songs 
just for the sake of giving expression to feeling. 

The physical education work was just as strongly 
motivated. No formal exercises were needed. All this 
work took the form of dances, games, or free play, both 
out of doors and in doors, supplementing the physical 
activity involved in almost every phase of the school work. 

(b) A Week with Each Family. — After each 
family had worked out a week's program of activi- 
ties, a " coming together " meeting was planned, to 
which guests were bidden, who were to be asked to 
decide with which family they would prefer to spend a 
week. This unit of work was conducted under a heavy 
handicap, for the supervisor was unable to carry out 
her desire to have a set of play furniture for a sitting 
room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a bedroom, large 
enough to fit the children. The making of this would have 
been an ideal problem for the industrial art work of one 
of the upper grades or for a shop class of the Normal 
School students. But it proved impossible to arrange 
this, or even to finance the making of the most essential 
pieces of this furniture by a local cabinet maker. So this 
playing out of family activities had to be carried on 
largely with imaginary properties, the only " real " things 
used being some chairs which the third grade had made 
for the inter-grade workroom, the tea set made by the 
same grade, and a table loaned by the kindergarten — no 
bed, no bureau, no sideboard, no rocking or arm chair. 

(c) Special Days or Events in the Family Life. 
— Some of these have already been considered in the pre- 
ceding pages, i.e., the millinery opening at the Model Store 
(page 43), the Christmas party given by first grade to 



70 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

second and third (page 44), the tea party given by first 
grade to third grade (page 64). 

The celebrations of patriotic birthdays and other hoH- 
days were usually inter-grade affairs. On Columbus Day 
the story was told in each room before the children went 
up to the auditorium to see the pageant given by the 
Normal School students. Hallowe'en was an occasion of 
pure fun. At Thanksgiving, as at Easter time, there were 
special songs and stories. For New Year's Day the chil- 
dren learned the poem, " I am the little New Year." 
Valentines were made beforehand in each room for the 
children of all three grades, the jingles as well as the 
pictures being home-made. A leading feature of the 
joint party was the reading of these jingles, which fol- 
lowed the victrola concert. Arbor Day and Memorial 
Day were celebrated by the whole school, the latter on the 
banks of the Delaware, on whose waters flowers were cast 
in honor of our soldier and sailor dead, in France or on 
the seas between. 

As for the family recreations which had been planned 
for the year, a trip was made to Cadwalader Park in the 
late fall, to gather leaves and flowers and to see the sheep 
(in connection with the study of wool). The winter 
brought too little snow and ice to stage the coasting and 
skating trips, so these had to be imaginary, like the fishing 
trip, which was crowded out by the influenza in the fall 
and by the consequent congestion of the program in the 
spring. " A week in the country " was also imagined, 
when country life was worked out on the sand table. 
All these recreations, indeed, furnish interesting sand- 
table projects. 

Trips to art gallery and museum were not taken, since 
the call for such trips should come from some phase of the 
curriculum; and in this case much of their purpose was 
served, and time was conserved, by having certain mate- 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 71 

rials brought to the school from the museum, and by the 
use of the Httle pictures described on page 62. When 
the circus visited Trenton, the children staged and played 
a circus on the sand table. Music lessons and the school 
victrola were used in playing going to concerts. 

It had been the intention to entertain the parents of 
the children frequently, to insure understanding and co- 
operation, but the many school duties of the supervisor 
outside of this curriculum crowded out this valuable phase 
of the school life, except for the inter-grade Mothers' 
Party which followed the closing pageant. 

(g) A Family Reunion. — This last unit of the cur- 
riculum — a dramatized summary of the year's work — 
became a part of the pageant which was given by the three 
grades. In order to make apparent the part it played 
in the whole, it is not described here, but is given in its 
setting, as it were, at the end of the account of the third- 
grade curriculum (page 132). 

III. SECOND GRADE MAJOR PROJECT — PLAYING STORE 

This project having been launched by the supervisor 
in her first visit after the reopening of schools at the 
end of October (see page 18), the student teacher took 
it up the next day. 

"Of course you remember what you decided on yes- 
terday as your work for the year." " Why did you 
choose this work?" "Which grade do you think will 
need your help more frequently?" "What is the first 
thing they'll need for playing family?" ("Dolls.") 
" How will they get these? " " After making or buying 
the dolls for their families, what must they then have? " 
("Clothes.") "How can they get all these things?" 
" Where does your mother get the things the family 
wear?" "Can the first grade make all the dolls' 
clothes?" "How can we help them?" ("Sell ready- 



72 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

made clothes in our store, as well as materials.") 
" Will playing family require anything but dolls and 
their clothes? " 

" Look about your house to-night and be able to tell 
to-morrow what a store should have in order to be able 
to supply the needs of a family." 

The following day the question, " What kind of store 
shall we have? " introduced a lively discussion which was 
guided by the reports on the assignment The list of 
articles needed for family life was put on the board and 
then classified. In this classijfication the necessity for a 
store of the department type became evident. The de- 
velopment of the idea was helped in this way: " If your 
mother had a good deal of shopping to do in Philadelphia, 
to what sort of store would she probably go? Suppose, 
for instance, she wanted to buy shoes, a coat, a new 
desk, a rug, and some pins, and she had only a little time 
in which to do it, where would she go? " (Most of the 
children had gone to Philadelphia with their mothers and 
had visited the Wanamaker store.) 

"If she were going to do this shopping in Trenton, 
where would she go?" (" Dunham's, or Kaufman's.") 

" Why wouldn't she go to Manning's? " (This is a 
furniture house.) 

" What do we call a big store hke Dunham's or 
Kaufman's, where all kinds of things are sold ? " " What 
kind of store will be most convenient for our customers ? " 

" I should like each one to try to decide on the best way 
to play department store. Think it over to-night, and let 
us hear from you to-morrow." 

Next morning ways and means were suggested, but 
the discussion was very rambling, details of stocking, 
managing, selling, being given promiscuously, till one 
child suggested that we were planning what to sell and 
how to sell before we had a place in which to put the 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 73 

things. This was taken as a great joke, and the class 
immediately dropped all the imaginary stocking of the 
store and started to make plans for the store itself. 

/. How Shall the Store he Built? — Questions of mate- 
rials to be used, of ways of putting these materials 
together, of size, of number of rooms or departments, 
were discussed and the following decisions formulated: 
(a) that a visit downtown to see the two chief depart- 
ment stores was necessary; (6) that the size of our store 
must depend on the space available in the room rather than 
on the number of rooms or departments necessary; (c) 
that if lack of space made it necessary, the departments 
for which there was no longer a demand might be dis- 
continued when a need developed for other departments; 
{d) that the material had better be wood (box construc- 
tion) with a brick foundation and chimney, and " a water- 
proof roof." 

(a) General Plan. — Victrola boxes were suggested, 
since they are " so large and so smooth." So four of 
these were procured and building was begun. The boxes 
were used with their longest dimension parallel with the 
floor; two were placed end to end and supported on 
three soap boxes so as to make them more accessible. 
Since there was space enough, the contiguous ends of 
the victrola boxes were left as far apart as the size of 
the middle foundation box permitted, thus forming an 
entrance or vestibule. When the other two victrola boxes 
were laid on top of the first to form the second story, the 
space between formed a small room to house any depart- 
ment whose stock was not large. But this space had 
neither floor nor ceiling! To remedy this, the upper 
boxes were drawn a trifle farther apart, so that a narrow 
box, set in on end, was supported on the projecting edges of 
the lower victrola boxes, ( See picture opposite page 74. ) 

The children carried in " real " bricks for foundation 



74 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING- THE CURRICULUM 

and chimney. They mixed the cement which they used as 
mortar, some boys from third grade being called in to 
teach them this process. After finishing one-half of the 
foundation, i.e., setting bricks to hide the supporting 
boxes and to fill the space between them, it suddenly 
dawned on one child that if they put the bricks under 
the entire edge of the building, they would lose the use of 
that space, which might house goods " just like Kaufman's 
basement." So the children decided that they must sacri- 
fice the pleasure of more brick-laying and a part of the 
realism of the structure, for the sake of keeping some 
of their stock in the basement and being able to display it, 
as well as to get at it when customers appeared. 

There were two very good reasons why the children 
did not make their own bricks. First, it was not possible 
to secure enough clay without great delay and expense; 
second, they couldn't afford the time needed to make them, 
even if they could wait till the clay came, since a whole 
month of work had been lost by the closing of the school 
during the epidemic of influenza. Even had these facts 
not been apparent to the children, the teacher would have 
encouraged the use of real bricks ; ( i ) because the making 
of bricks is one of the first-grade experiences in the cur- 
riculum now under consideration and the work is necessa- 
rily repeated on a much larger scale in the third-grade 
project, so that time may be more profitably spent in the 
second grade on other things; (2) because the possibility 
of handling " the real thing " in this larger construction 
makes it wise to do so. 

When the chimney was begun, it was found that the 
side of the box was not strong enough to support it, so a 
heavier board was laid across underneath the hollow 
square of bricks. Other boards, parts of soap and canned 
goods boxes which the children dissected, were used to 
build steps leading up to the vestibule. The children 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 75 

themselves planned these, sawing the side pieces and 
fitting the rises and treads on them. 

The waterproof roof which had been specified origi- 
nally by one of the children was constructed by one group, 
while others were working on the steps and the brick- 
work. The central box was a trifle higher than the large 
boxes, and the class decided to cover this ugly jog and 
" make it look more like a real store" by building up a 
pointed gable roof over this part. Then the whole was 
covered with real tar-roofing paper. 

" What a fine place to put the name of the store! " 
cried one of the roofmakers, pointing to the triangular 
space over the entrance. There had been a very animated 
discussion a little earlier than this of various names that 
had been proposed for this business enterprise. It so hap- 
pened that the wing of the Normal School building which 
housed the Training School had been the home for many 
years of a somewhat similar institution called the Model 
School, this part of the building being still called the 
Model wing. The street which leads up to the campus 
opposite the front door of this wing is named Model 
Avenue. So the majority of the children, living in this 
neighborhood, wanted to call their store " The Model 
Store," and the name can be plainly seen in the picture 
facing page 74. 

(b) Outside Finish. — Victrola boxes being made of 
very thin boards set on the inside of a heavy framework, 
their outer surfaces are recessed, or depressed, within a 
heavy rim. These depressions in the surfaces of the 
boxes forming the end walls of the store were filled in 
with cement, in which pebbles were set before it hardened 
to give the effect of pebble-dash construction. Then all 
the outside woodwork was painted green. Before the 
cement finish was thought of, windows had been sawed 
in the end walls, and panes of glass fastened in with 



76 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

putty. It became a very difificult problem to keep the 
cement from overflowing these windows, since it was too 
late to put on raised frames without breaking the glass. 
The teacher helped the children by suggestions and in the 
carrying out of the suggestions, but left the responsibility 
on their shoulders. Another year she would probably 
try to have the children foresee this difficulty ; but if there 
had not already been enough unanticipated difficulties met 
to give abundant opportunity to provoke thought, she can 
imagine herself allowing the children to meet this one 
again. For it is quite conceivable that a curriculum of 
this sort, if too carefully elaborated and formulated, may 
in time become as stereotyped, as deadening to initiative, 
as the most formal curriculum of the old type. 

(c) Inside Finish. — The problem of interior finish for 
the store was easily solved, because the boxes were so 
smooth. The children all helped to paint the walls an 
attractive tan color and to varnish the floor. This color 
scheme seeming rather somber after the work was done, 
one child suggested putting a border around the walls. 
This became the fine arts problem. All the children made 
designs, the best being selected by class vote. Every child 
had a chance to help in the making of this border after 
the design was adopted ; one group measured and cut the 
strips of paper; one tinted these strips; one cut the design 
as a stencil in stiff cardboard; one applied the pattern to 
the strips. 

About the time the border was ready to be hung, the 
oil from the putty was beginning to stain the walls around 
the windows. This greatly grieved the children and 
various remedies were proposed, and rejected. Finally 
one of the girls suggested that the border might be put 
around the windows to cover the spots instead of just 
under the ceiling, for it would brighten the interior just 
as much in this position, if not more. Accordingly this 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 77 

was done. But alas, the oil gradually made its way- 
through the border and finally spread far beyond it, as 
is shown in the picture. The damage proved to be be- 
yond remedy, and the children had to submit to 
the inevitable. 

The work on this building introduced these children 
to materials, tools, and processes which they had never 
before met. For pupils who had lived through the first- 
grade family life, this phase of the project would have 
been in the main a review, but with enough new features 
to make the work none the less enjoyable and profitable. 

An interesting and valuable feature of the painting of 
the store was an introduction of the children to some of 
the materials used in making paint. The student teacher 
began this by telling " The story of this can of paint." 

" I was made in a large factory. Some men mixed 
linseed oil, which is pressed out of the seeds of the flax 
plant, with the kind of powder which gave me the color 
they wanted me to be. I think this coloring matter has a 
queer name, don't you? It is called pigment. My pig- 
ment is brown. 

" After the oil and the pigment were mixed, I had to 
have something to help stiffen me. This was a smooth, 
white, gummy substance, which looks like the inside of 
marshmallows. It is called white lead. This braced me 
up and made me anxious to come to you. But I had to 
wait long enough to have some turpentine put into me, 
to make me dry quickly. 

" Then the men poured me into my can, and with hun- 
dreds of other cans which were going to paint other 
stores and houses and wagons and many more things, I 
traveled from the factory to the paint store where Mr. 
Clark bought me. 

" When he brought me to you, I heard him tell you 
something which I hope you'll think of every time you 
use me. ' Don't put too much paint on your brush at a 



78 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

time, and ' — well, I couldn't quite hear what else he said, 
but I guess you know, so I'll leave this for you to finish." 

This mode of ending the story gave the teacher an 
opportunity to have the children build up other rules for 
the correct use of paint. 

(d) The Show Windows. — The fine arts work while 
the store was building consisted mainly of making a 
poster, about five feet long by two feet wide, representing 
two large show windows, to be put up so as to cover the 
lower portion of the glassed partition separating the room 
from the hall. This was made partly as a decoration for 
the hall but mainly for advertising purposes. The win- 
dows were drawn and their frames, as well as a part of 
the store front which was also represented, were appro- 
priately colored. Each child helped in this work. Sepa- 
rate pictures of the goods to be displayed were drawn, 
colored, cut out, and very lightly pasted in place, so that 
the windows could be re-dressed from time to time, as 
new departments were opened. Patterns or models were 
drawn, colored, and cut out by all, the best being selected 
for display. The coloring was done with crayola. (See 
picture opposite.) 

2. Suspension of Activities for Thanksgiving.^ — It 
now became necessary to concentrate on the preparations 
for Thanksgiving Day, which was fast approaching. The 
readings and stories of the English work reflected the 
coming event. 

(a) The Second Grade's Contribution, — A Thanks- 
giving celebration for the first three grades was planned. It 
was agreed that second grade was to tell the other grades : 

(a') Why our government sets a day apart for 
thanksgiving. 

(&') What are some of the things that the whole 
nation is thankful for. 

(c') What children have to be thankful for. 





THE STORE WINDOW POSTER 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 79 

(d') How each one can help to make the big " Thank 
you " of the whole world more real. 

The children made Thanksgiving postcards for first 
and for third grade. This was to be their " surprise " 
for the party. 

(b) Organization of an Indian Tribe in the Grade. — 
Through the story of the first Thanksgiving Day in this 
country, the children were introduced to the Indians, and 
in a short time the second grade was deep in the absorbing 
project of playing Assunpink tribe. This interest ran 
parallel with the store interest, and did not become linked 
with it till near the close of the year. Then a child sug- 
gested putting the bows and arrows, the little canoes, 
and other things which the children had made as Indians, 
into the store. These things had been made as the Indian 
life was developed and the tribal home established on the 
sand table. 

In all of this work, the children, instead of being told 
and then telling about the Indians, organized themselves 
into a tribe and actually lived through many of the ex- 
periences of these primitive people. Having learned that 
the creek running through the part of Trenton where most 
of the children lived had received its name from an Indian 
tribe that lived there many years ago, they decided to 
adopt this name for their tribe, living now near the banks 
of this creek. 

In the decoration of their pottery, the children devised 
and used what they called the Assunpink design, which 
was really the conventionalized representation of the 



winding creek, thus \ / \ • They made a variety of 




interesting adaptations of this motif. This was their 
introduction to the idea, as well as the application, of a 
unit or motif in applied design. 



80 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Each child took an Indian name and during the meet- 
ings of the Council and the working out of the other 
significant phases of tribal life, they called one another 
by these names : Shooting Star, Blazing Comet, Brave 
Heart, Shining Eyes, etc. The Indian work was usually 
conducted in a circle. Tools and implements, clothes, 
homes, boats, dishes, food, were thus worked out. 

The chief was responsible for the reading of the tribe. 
The class at this time read with the greatest interest 
" Red Feather," " Mewanee," and parts of " Hiawatha," 
as well as all the Indian stories they could find in the 
other books of the school library, so as to find out about 
other Indians and thus learn how to do certain things as 
the necessity arose for them in the life of the Assunr 
pink tribe. 

J. Installing the Departments. — The building was 
ready at last to be stocked. The children were most eager 
to begin this work. The following list of desirable de- 
partments was worked out by the class : 

1. Dry goods (cotton, linen, lo. Groceries. 

wool, silk). II. Seeds and plants. 

2. Millinery. 12. Candy and soda water. 

3. Ready-made garments. 13. Books and stationery. 

4. Boots and shoes. 14. Pictures. 

5. Notions. 15. Toys and games. 

6. Carpets and rugs. 16. Housefurnishings. 

7. Eurniture. 17. Indian Department 

8. China. (added later). 

9. Curtains and bedding, 

(a) Dry Goods Department. — The class voted that 
this department be started first, because it would be the 
earliest to be drawn upon by the first-grade families. 
The work to be done in fitting up this department fell 
under the following heads : 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 81 

1. How shall we get the dry goods? 

2. What kinds shall we get ? 

3. How shall we arrange them in the store? 

4. Who shall be the salesmen ? 

5. How shall we interest others in this department? 

I. Providing the Stock. — The children set out at 
once to get the materials. They brought from home and 
they wrote notes asking the help of the Normal students 
and of the domestic arts department of the Normal School. 
The stock having been gathered in, the sorting process 
began. In order to classify the miscellaneous collection 
the children had to learn to distinguish cotton cloth, linen, 
wool, silk, satin, and velvet. This led to a brief study 
of each fabric. For use " in the trade," sample books 
were made ; and in these were shown by picture or writing 
something of the origin of the cloth and the uses to which 
it is commonly put, along with the samples. Before 
making these books, the children visited the museum in 
the State Capitol, so that they might get ideas from the 
charts on display there. 

On the sand table the class developed, as each fabric 
was studied, a cotton field, a sheep farm, a flax field, a 
silkworm farm. At this time the stories for the Store 
Reader which the grade decided to make — not to be 
behind first grade — began to be told : " The cotton baby 
speaks." " What Johnny heard his woolen coat say." 
" The silk dress splits at a party." " The linen tablecloth 
surprises the family at dinner." " The bowl's story." 
(See Appendix, page 304.) 

Before the dry goods department was fully arranged, 
rumors reached the ears of the merchants that the first 
grade would need rulers to measure their dolls before they 
could decide how much material to buy for their clothes. 
Here was the teacher's opportunity to secure some accurate 
measuring and cutting. Strips of cardboard one foot 
6 



82 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

long and one inch wide were measured off and cut. The 
very careful measurement called for in marking the inches 
(in red ink) and the half inches (in black ink) was an 
excellent preparation for the remaining work on the 
stock of dry goods. 

When the sorting of the materials which had been 
gathered was finished, each kind of cloth was cut into 
strips of uniform width (being made as wide as the scraps 
contributed would allow). These were then measured 
and each kind wrapped on a cardboard bolt. These oblong 
pieces of cardboard had been cut of several sizes, to suit 
the various widths of goods. On the end of each was 
written the quantity in inches and the price per inch of 
the material it held. The determination of price called 
for judgment of quality, comparison with store samples 
and prices, etc. 

The need for making counters arose as soon as the 
bolts of goods were ready to be placed. This was done 
entirely by the children, who' were always eager for this 
type of work and did it very well. Two strips of wood 
were nailed to the floor with a narrow space between them. 
T-shaped counters were nailed together, the strip of wood 
used for the upright being just thick enough to slide 
snugly into this groove. If this counter proved super- 
fluous in the later use of this floor-space for some other 
department, it was very easily slid or lifted out of the 
groove for the time being. ( See picture facing page 74. ) 

2. Choosing Managers and Salesmen. — The next 
question of importance was the selection of the personnel 
of this department. These qualities were decided upon as 
essentials for the manager: 



I. 


" Good worker." 


5- 


" Speaks well." 


2. 


" Likes his business." 


6. 


" Is kind tohis workers 


3- 


" Writes well." 


7- 


" Is honest." 


4. 


" Reads well." 







CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 83 

These standards having been established, the position 
was left open to give each, member of the class a chance 
to show his fitness. *' Fitness'^ meant high attainment in 
reading, writing, arithmetic, behavior, business knowl- 
edge, etc. Salesmen were chosen at the same time, the 
requisite qualifications being : 

1. " Attends to business." 4. "Is good in number 

2. "■ Knows his stock well." work." 

3. "Is polite." 5. "Is honest." 

The choice of salesmen was deferred in the same way 
as that of manager. Such rivalries as these, as successive 
opportunities for office developed, became a most effective 
disciplinary agency. 

3. Publicity Work. — Advertising the store naturally 
followed. The subject was introduced by the question, 
" When a store opens to do business, how do the pro- 
prietors let people know what they are selling? " " How 
shall we advertise? " 

One of the first means used was a letter to the first- 
grade families, to tell them that the Model Store was now 
ready to sell dry goods. A poster was made and placed 
in the hall outside of the door, and an advertisement was 
sent to the third grade to be printed in their newspaper. 
The working out of such posters, letters or circulars, and 
advertisements throughout the year provided golden op- 
portunities for English work. The spelling lessons grew 
out of this phase of the work. Drill was given where 
necessary, but always drill with interest and in a form 
definitely related to the problem in hand. 

The work in arithmetic, in addition to the actual plan- 
ning, measuring, and making of the things needed, was 
largely centered around the sales problems. The three 
processes of adding, multiplying, and subtracting were 
frequently called for in the work of getting ready for the 



84 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

first sale, as in all the later sales. The class was looking 
for its best mathematicians for cashiers as well as sales- 
men, an(},-^?very child was doing his or her best to qualify 
for one of these positions. 

Discussion of the opening and closing hours for the 
store, and adjusting these to the demands of other work, 
made it necessary for the children to be able to read the 
clock, and so this skill was developed. A large cardboard 
clock-face, with movable hands, was hung on the wall, 
near the store, and set whenever necessary to show the 
hour of opening a sale. Between sales, this device was 
used in many motivated drills, and before the end of the 
year the little store-keepers were able to read the time. 

The first grade's earliest purchase of rulers had showed 
that the store itself was too small to allow more than 
one living salesman to handle the stock freely in serving 
living customers, especially when these came thirty at a 
time. Moreover, it was desirable that as many second- 
graders as possible should get the training afforded by 
selling and that each first-grader should have an oppor- 
tunity really to see the stock and exercise some judgment 
in his purchase. So it came to be the rule, when a sale was 
on, to expand the department in question to include the 
entire room if necessary, the stock being made accessible 
temporarily on desks, window sills, etc. 

The day for selling dry goods to first grade finally 
came, and a happy one it proved to be. The first offering 
was confined to material for the dolls' union suits. Both 
woolen and cotton goods were sold. The occasion dis- 
covered to the second grade the need for greater freedom 
of speech while selling — the salesman needing not only 
" to know his stock " but to be able to talk freely to his 
customer about it. It also showed the need for much drill 
in arithmetic, especially multiplication and the making 
of change. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 85 

(b) Toy Department. — And now Christmas time was 
coming', so of course the Model Store must put in a toy 
department! After a general discussion of l^ys and a 
visit to some of the stores down town to get ideas, a great 
deal of freedom was allowed, both in choice of subject and 
in method of work. The output comprised rag dolls, bean 
bags, blocks (with or without A B C's on them), sets 
of plasticene dishes, a ring-toss game, wooden furniture, 
wagons, clay marbles and bags to keep them in. Price 
tags were made and placed on the toys after the class had 
decided on their value. This was determined by good 
workmanship and attractiveness, a large element in the 
latter being " whether they worked or not." 

After Christmas there was a " bargain sale " of toys, 
the prices being greatly reduced. This marking down pro- 
vided a fine lesson in subtraction. Later the toys which 
were not sold were removed from their prominent place 
on the second floor and placed in the basement, as is shown 
in the picture facing page 74. The ring-toss game proved 
one of the most popular toys and was frequently used in 
the arithmetic work, as were the bean bags. 

The second grade's share in the joint Christmas party 
was to work up a surprise for the other grades. Since 
they were making toys, they decided to make a " Toy 
Story " and act it out. As this was developed under the 
leadership of the student teacher, the toys one by one 
waked up and told the story of their lives. In order to 
tell these stories, a good deal of work on the sources of 
the materials of each toy was necessary. How it hap- 
pened to come to the Model Store was another feature 
of the story. Stimuli like the following were used: " If 
this drum could speak, what would it say about itself?" 
"If you were a horn, how would you tell your story?" 
" Where shall we have the toys when they speak to each 



B6 THE PEOJECl AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Other?" ("In the store.") "What shall we call the 
place?" ("Toyland.") 

So the story was called " In Toyland." Each child 
represented a toy, making a speech about itself. It told 
where its first home was, what it was made of, and how 
it happened to be there, in the Toyland of the store. 
Then came a toy dance of joy at being with the children 
on Christmas Day. 

The making of the toys, the fitting up of this depart- 
ment in the store, playing with and selling the toys, the 
working up of this part of the Christmas celebration, the 
singing of the usual carols — all brought a real Christmas 
spirit into the school ; and all the time the children's ex- 
periences in reading, writing, and arithmetic, in manipula- 
tion of materials and in construction, were increasing in 
number and in scope. 

(c) The Ready-made Clothing Department. — The 
approach to this was made through the coming necessity 
of first grade for buying some of the garments needed by 
the dolls, since their child-doubles would not have time, 
even if they had the ability, to make all of their clothes. 

Each second-grader decided what kind of garment he 
wanted to make and drew a picture of it. These pictures 
were to be put into the Catalogue of the Model Store, 
which was planned to contain lists, pictures, and prices of 
all the articles made for the store. 

The children had an opportunity to review their work 
on fabrics while selecting the materials for the garments 
they had decided to make. Patterns were cut first, in 
every case. These patterns were themselves put into the 
store later, forming part of the stock of the notion 
department. The clothing was made to fit the first-grade 
dolls, since these were to be the chief patrons of the store. 
The details of this work will not be given, since a descrip- 
tion of the development of each garment, the actual use 



CUREICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 87 

of the patterns, the method of sewing, the fitting, the 
consideration of the question of appropriateness, would 
make this story too long. Moreover, most of it already 
appears in the corresponding section on the first-grade 
project (page 31.) 

When the garments were finished, racks were made 
of wood, to hold them. The costumes were criticized, the 
price set, and tags made. The manager and salesmen 
were discovered, as in the case of the dry goods depart- 
ment, in the arithmetic classes and the general discussion 
work. The poster, " Friday Sale ! Come and Buy ! Bar- 
gains IN Dresses. The Model Store. Second Grade," 
was made and illustrated with men, women, and children, 
wearing the new styles as they descended the stairs sup- 
posedly leading from the department on the second floor. 
The student teacher designed and drew this stairway, but 
the children themselves designed, drew, colored, and cut 
out the customers, and pasted them in place. They also 
did the printing with the price-and-sign-marker, the stu- 
dent teacher helping them to decide arrangement and spac- 
ing. An advertisement was sent to the third-grade news- 
paper. So the ready-made garment department was 
launched, and the sale followed. While this part of the 
work was in progress, the children produced " The story 
of the ready-made suits." 

(d) Millinery Department. — Hats and caps were next 
in order. Again, the materials needed were studied, and 
selected from the stock. Methods of decorating or trim- 
ming hats were emphasized. There was some study of 
feathers, pointing out those which may be used freely 
and thus sowing the first seeds of membership in the 
Audubon Society. A few tiny paper flowers were made, 
but very few, since they were necessarily too small for 
childish fingers to manage with advantage. 

Of course while the hat making was in progress, the 



88 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

atmosphere of the room reeked of millinery. Some of 
the decorated hat boxes may be seen on the second floor 
in the picture of the store facing page 74. The making of 
these boxes was an interesting combination of industrial 
and fine arts. The arithmetical training afforded by the 
planning, marking, and cutting of the stiff paper used in 
their construction was well worth while. Finally the big 
hat sale or " Millinery Opening," described under the first- 
grade project, was arranged. (See page 43.) 

(e) Shoe Department. — The children's own shoes 
were carefully examined, their condition as to blacking 
and general care being tactfully remarked in passing. 
Samples of shoes of good shape and quality were shown 
and discussed, in order that the salesmen-to-be might 
know what to say about their wares. 

The children were brought by the circumstances face 
to face with the problem of supplying something to take 
the place of leather in this shoe-making project, since even 
the slowest of them readily understood that real leather 
was out of the question for shoes so small. The kid of 
discarded gloves was substituted, and tiny shoes of tan, 
gray, black, and white were made for the families of first 
grade. Incidentally, the appropriate occasions for wear- 
ing each of these were discussed. Prices were put on the 
shoes, and boxes were made and labeled. The use of 
moccasins by the Indians was recalled by the children 
as a very early method of protecting the feet. 

Shoe advertisements were cut from newspapers by 
the children and brought to school. These were read by 
the class for suggestions for their own publicity material 
— and to improve their reading ability. One of their 
advertisements ran as follows : 

New Spring Shoes. 

Cheap ! Cheap ! 
Buy while they last. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 89 

Shoe stories were found, to be read, told, and drama- 
tized. " The elves and the shoemaker," " Goody Two- 
Shoes," and " Cinderella " were among these. And the 
second grade shared with the first the pleasure of seeing 
the Cinderella puppet show given by one of the 
higher grades. 

Tiny silk and cotton stockings were made from the legs 
of worn-out " real " hose, to match the shoes. The chief 
emphasis was on the appropriateness of the shoe to the 
stocking, and of both to time and place. Apropos of this 
discussion, the following story was built up : 

THE QUARREL OF THE SHOE AND THE STOCKING 

One day a little girl put on a pair of fine silk stockings 
with her heavy walking shoes. She had not gone very 
far before she heard the stocking say to the shoe, " Oh ! 
oh ! you are wearing a hole in my toe ! " 

" I can't help it," said the shoe. " This child would 
put me on when she knew she would have to wear you." 

"Doesn't she know that it is too cold for me? Be- 
sides, I should be worn only with slippers and pumps. 
And she surely ought not to wear me when she takes a 
long walk." 

" I love to be worn with nice stockings like you," 
laughed the shoe. 

" You make me angry. You ought to help teach our 
little mistress the better way, instead of laughing at her 
mistake. Now I feel my heel tearing ! " 

The shoe stopped laughing and the silk stocking wept 
bitterly. The little girl wondered how her feet happened 
to get so wet and cold. 

In arithmetic, work on " the pair " was emphasized. 
Counting by twos led into a more or less formal building 
up of the two table. The children, having met the facts 
of the table in the practical situations of making, mark- 



90 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

ing, and selling shoes and stockings, were prepared to 
enjoy the process of arranging them in regular order. 

(f) Notion Department. — About this time the chil- 
dren from first grade were finishing up the clothes for 
the dolls, and needed pins, buttons, snap fasteners, tape, 
and hooks and eyes. This meant the putting in of a 
notion department. Small lots of the articles named, 
along with thread, darning cotton, etc., were brought in. 
Organizing this material meant sewing the buttons on 
cards, a dozen on each; arranging hooks and eyes and 
snaps in the same way; and sticking the pins neatly in 
papers, a definite number in each row. The manager of 
the department checked up the accuracy of this arithmeti- 
cal work. During this work the class made this story : 

THE NOTION FAMILY GOES TO A DANCE 

One night Mrs. Hat Department asked the Notion 
Counter family to a dance. The tape rolled merrily down 
the street, and the buttons rolled, too. The needles and 
pins hopped along. Some of them stuck in the ground. 
*' Help ! " they cried. 

Just then the hook came bouncing along. " Why are 
you stopping here?" he asked. 

The poor needles cried, " Please, Mr. Hook, pull 
us out." 

Mr. Hook laughed and said, " Why did you step 
so heavily? " 

" Never mind ! Maybe some day you'll get stuck your- 
self," replied the needles, " and then you needn't ask us 
to pull you out." 

So Mr. Hook pulled them out, and they went on to 
the party. Pretty soon the snaps came rolling down the 
hill to Mrs, Hat Department's front door and joined the 
merry crowd. 

At the party they played games and danced. The un- 
lucky Mr. Needle stepped on Miss Tape's foot. Miss 
Tape became very angry. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 91 

" Get off my foot ! You have fastened me to the floor. 
Boo-hoo-hoo," she cried. 

Just then they all heard a tap, tap, tap, on the window 
pane. Miss Eye looked out and spied the manager of the 
notion department. 

" Oh, let's run ! " they all cried. " Good night, Mrs. 
Hat Department." 

So they all rolled, hopped, and bounced back to 
their home. 

(g) Furniture Department. — ^^The building of the 
homes in first grade being nearly finished, the furnishing 
of these houses now began to cast its shadow before. 

The second grade decided to make six sets of furni- 
ture, one for each room in a doll house. The number and 
kind of pieces for each set were worked out by all the 
children together. They decided to use wood, since " real 
furniture is made of wood." A trip to a furniture store 
down town was planned, to see the variety of wood, of 
forms, and of color. Samples of different kinds of 
*' furniture wood " were shown and tested as to hardness. 

Each set of furniture was undertaken by a group, who 
selected their own leader. This leader or " boss furniture- 
maker " was held responsible for keeping the work up 
to the specifications of size, form, finish, and time-limit. 
Every child made at least one piece, some of them making 
three or four. Such things as piano, sideboard, kitchen 
cabinet, and bookcase were undertaken by those who 
showed most skill in this work. The children were held 
to as high a standard of workmanship as possible in view 
of their immaturity, not only by appealing to their pride 
in turning out as good products for the store as they 
could, but by telling them that the best of their furniture 
was to be used by the first grade as models. 

The little cabinet makers decided to paint their furni- 
ture, and to decorate it with flowers and other designs. 



S2 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

They made the Hving room set black and decorated it in 
red and gilt. The dining-room furniture was painted 
blue, with designs of rose. One bedroom set was cream, 
the other a light yellow, both being decorated with green 
and pink. The kitchen furniture was painted white. 

The Indian village on the sand table — the home of the 
Assunpink tribe — had become rather dilapidated by this 
time. So the serviceable articles in it were dusted and put 
into the store as an Indian department, while a lumber 
camp, which handled the kinds of wood they were using, 
grew up to take its place on the table. The story of " The 
honest woodman " was read by the class, and the car- 
penters' poem was made. 

" We are busy carpenters, 
Working day by day ; 
We like to saw, and hammer nails. 
Then put our tools away. 

" Chairs and beds and tables. 
Standing in a row — 
In the store we've put them, 
To sell at prices low. 

" They are very strong and neat, 
As you all can tell; 
They are painted black and white. 
All ready now to sell." 

(h) Bedding and Curtain Department. — The dolls' 
beds must have mattresses and pillows, of course, not to 
speak of sheets, pillow cases, blankets, and counterpanes. 
The dressers, tables, and sideboards needed scarfs. And 
surely the dolls would want curtains at their windows. 
So each child elected to make something from this list. 
The class saw for themselves that each must consider 
the others in making his decision, in order that the store 



CUERICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 93 

might be able to supply all of these demands, and not be 
left with an oversupply in some lines, which would have 
to be sacrificed. The process of adjustment which resulted 
was very interesting to the supervisor, who was looking 
on as an outsider and who only occasionally interjected 
a word of advice. 

(i) Carpet and Rug Department. — Floor coverings 
were the next things to be attended to. In answer to the 
question, " How shall we stock this department? ", sam- 
ples of various kinds of floor covering were brought and 
named by the children. It was decided what kinds the 
Model Store should make. Wool and cotton were pro- 
nounced too scarce and precious under the war conditions 
to use for this purpose. 

" But wouldn't silk cost too much? " 

" I happen to have a lot of silk carpet-rags, cut years 
ago, which would be just the thing for pretty rugs, and 
which we can use without any fear that we are wasting 
what should be used for the soldiers." 

The children were quite satisfied to accept these, and 
they were brought to school the next day. First the rags 
were sewed together and each child rolled his long strip 
into a ball. Wooden looms were made, and rugs were 
woven on them to fit the dolls' rooms. These looms are 
seen stacked together in the lower left room of the store ; 
some of the rugs woven on them are hanging on the wall 
of the room above this, and the end of one of them, 
attached to the rug poster as a sample, shows at the left 
margin of the picture. (See page 74.) The rugs for 
bathroom and kitchen were made of raffia, braided, coiled 
into a circle, and sewed. One of these adorns the rug 
poster just mentioned and others are seen on the walls 
of the store. "The great event of the season! Special 
sale of rugs " was now advertised, and one more depart- 
ment had its day. 



94 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

(j) The Cafeteria. — A new feature in the rug sale, 
devised by the student teacher for the deHght of the first- 
grade shopipers and the further education of her own Httle 
pupil salesmen, who still needed drill in computation, was 
the establishment of a cafeteria, so that the shoppers 
might lunch in the store. The first-graders, too, profited 
by this clever arithmetical game, for they had to " count 
the cost," though it was only the second-graders who 
totaled the receipts and calculated the profits. 

To establish this cafeteria, the children brought pic^ 
tures of delicious food, cut in the main from the Ladies' 
Home Journal. These were mounted, marked with a 
price, and placed around the room. The children were 
told that they ought not to spend more than fifty cents 
for their lunch. A second-grader accompanied each little 
shopper, writing on a slip of paper the names and prices 
of the dishes chosen. When the child finished selecting 
his lunch, the guide helped him to add. Then he was sent 
to the cashier to pay, and to receive his change if there 
was any coming to him. Both shopper and guide were 
asked to sign the sales check, though they were not told 
that the teacher meant to verify the addition later and to 
see that any child who needed it received special help. 

This cafeteria game was frequently repeated " by 
request." It was often asked for even when there was 
no sale in progress, for the children loved dearly to play it. 
The guide or, if first grade were not " in it," the luncher, 
who made no mistakes in adding the items or in verifying 
the change offered, was made cashier for the next time. 

(k) China Department. — ^This stock was made up 
entirely of the Indian bowls. These were hand-formed, 
fired in the kiln of one of the potteries nearby, then 
decorated with crayola, and shellacked. A number of 
them may be seen in the room of the store which is tem- 
porarily housing the looms. (See page 74.) Posters 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 95 

were made for the bowl sale, the best paper patterns that 
had been used for the bowls forming the decoration. An 
interesting story made by the children while this work was 
going on is given in the Appendix, page 304. 

(1) Book and Stationery Department. — The stocking 
of this part of the store took a most interesting form. 
The grade made ABC books, and number-rhyme books, 
both with illustrations, " for the trade," expecting first 
grade to buy for themselves and third grade to buy for 
their city library. It may be said in passing that the 
frequent making of verses in this, as in the other two 
grades, proved more serviceable in teaching phonetics 
than the grouping of words in " families," and the listing 
and memorizing of members of each family — besides 
being much more fun. 

The making of the alphabet book was a large contri- 
bution along this line. After the ABC jingles were 
built, a picture was made for each, thus affording oppor- 
tunity for two modes of expression of the same thought. 
Placing the couplets on the leaves of the book was a valu- 
able writing lesson. The best penmen were rewarded by 
being allowed to write the special gift books for the super- 
visor and the art teacher. A gray art paper was used for 
these books, one sheet for each couplet, and the pictures 
were cut out of various bright-colored papers. (See 
Appendix, page 299.) 

The number-rhymes were illustrated in crayola, and 
furnished excellent opportunities for grouping and spac- 
ing. ( See Appendix, page 296. ) 

The children suggested putting into the stock of this 
department the sundry and various postcards and valen- 
tines that they had made. Consequently any one who 
needed a Hallowe'en, a Thanksgiving, or a Christmas 
card, a birthday greeting or a valentine, had to seek no 
farther than the Model Store ! 



96 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Paper, envelopes, pens, and pencils were added to the 
department. A brief study was made of the sources and 
the processes of manufacture of paper ; and ways of econo- 
mizing this commodity in response to the appeal of the 
government were discussed and practiced. 

It was the intention of the children to make some sim- 
ple little story books for the first-grade trade, and to copy 
in the form of booklets some of the poems which had been 
taught in the second grade, both of these to be illustrated. 
But the end of the year was drawing too near to permit 
doing all of this, so Field's " Gingham dog and calico cat," 
Stevenson's " Land of story books," and others, could not 
be thus embodied. 

(m) The Picture Department. — The fact that this 
department was to be installed afforded stimuli for the 
art work throughout the year, the best pictures in any unit 
of work being retained for the Art Gallery of the Model 
Store. While the children were Assunpinks, they pro- 
duced many interesting and artistic representations of 
Indian life. Many of their original stories were very well 
illustrated, the privilege of doing this being granted to 
those who finished transcribing the story satisfactorily 
before the lesson period was over. One of the occupa- 
tions open to those who finished any work well, as in the 
first grade, was to get a book from the closet and read 
whatever the child wished. Another, which rivaled this 
in popularity, was to get any earlier piece of work from 
one's portfolio and illustrate it. 

(n) Grocery Department. — The original plan for the 
store included a grocery department and a beginning was 
made in the fall by gathering and drying seeds. Pictures 
and advertisements of food were mounted, and containers 
were made. Some of the stock was to have been just 
" make believe," but most of the children took very Httle 
interest in putting " make believe " articles in the store. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 97 

The whole situation up to this point had seemed too 
" real " to them to make this plan attractive ; so it was 
decided in the spring to have the department mainly for 
green groceries. It was with this in mind that the children 
set to work to plant their plot in the school garden. Wish- 
ing to put a variety of vegetables on the market, they 
planted as great a variety of seeds as possible. A space 
was assigned to each child, and he was allowed to select 
the kind of vegetable he preferred, from the seeds avail- 
able, or to bring some other kind from home if he pre- 
ferred. As the products matured, they were brought up 
to the store and sold to the Normal School lunch room. 
The money thus raised was used to help buy the refresh- 
ments for the Mothers' Party at the close of the year, 

4. Some General Features of the Project. — Many of 
the details of the work must be omitted, for lack of space, 
but some of the general features should perhaps be men- 
tioned. The project afforded special opportunities for 
English work, and as many of the children were of the 
semi-rural type, being brought in each morning from 
Ewing' Township in a bus, this work was especially neces- 
sary. The ordering of goods by letter, telephone, or tele- 
graph, or in person from agents or drummers, supplied 
motive for direct and varied expression of thought. Les- 
sons along this line are given in the Appendix, page 301. 

The store prepared for all holidays as they came along, 
and the whole room in consequence was pervaded with the 
holiday atmosphere. Other departments might have been 
added, had June 30th not come so soon. The project 
was really developed more fully along some lines than 
this record shows, but what has been omitted for fear of 
wearying the reader with details can probably be sup- 
plied, or rather replaced, in imagination if he desires so 
to do. The method of developing the project may be 
as varied in detail as are department stores themselves, 
7 



98 THE PEOJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

from the complete and complex organization of Wana- 
maker's to the " general store " of the little village. 

The drills were as many and as varied as those de- 
scribed in the first-grade project, and each one was just 
as closely connected with the work in hand. 

The preparation of the managers' and salesmen's 
speeches strongly emphasized polite forms adapted to 
many practical situations, thus establishing habits of cour- 
tesy. During the sales the managers looked after the 
discipline of the situation, as well as checked up the service, 
seeing that customers were waited on promptly, and help- 
ing the first-graders in many ways. 

IV. THIRD GRADE MAJOR PROJECT — PLAYING CITY 

The class in which this project was worked out was 
a troublesome group of children. They varied greatly in 
ability from the few natural leaders to the few mentally 
deficient and another small group whose morals were 
decidedly below par. With the exception of the four or 
five leaders, they were inclined to be lazy. The enforced 
vacation during the influenza was hard on them. Their 
being allowed to do largely, if not exactly, as they pleased 
during this month out of school did much to nullify the 
habits of work which had been well started during the 
development of the Fair project. 

So it happened that though — as indicated in the Intro- 
duction, page 1 6 — they had enthusiastically suggested 
playing city, they were as halting when it actually came to 
beginning the work as they had been in welcoming the 
help of the other grades. Their half-hearted response, 
on the day following the supervisor's visit, to her parting 
suggestion, " Think it over and decide just how you'd 
like to play city," was probably due in part to lack of 
skill in the student teacher in whose hands this work was 
put. Be that as it may, the need for an awakening soon 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 99 

becoming evident to the supervisor, she sowed some seeds 
in a talk with the student teacher which bore rich fruit 
in the following story : 

To-day I am going to tell you a story about a little 
girl who was lost in a great big city. She had been play- 
ing on the street near her home, with some of her little 
friends. But somehow she had become separated from 
them and she found herself alone on a strange street. She 
wandered about for a long time, looking for other little 
children like herself, but she couldn't find one. She was 
getting discouraged and very tired, but she walked on, and on, 
and on. At last, just as she was turning a corner, what 
do you think she saw? There stood a bigger building 
than she had ever seen before, with its doors standing 
wide open. She walked through one of these doors, and 
as she stepped into the wide hall, she stopped. She 
thought she heard voices, so she tilted her head to one 
side and listened, to make sure. 

What kind of voices do you suppose she heard? They 
were the happy voices of little children, and her heart 
leaped with joy. She walked down the hall to see whether 
she could find out where they came from. Oh, yes ! 
There in a large room she saw many little children, all 
busily playing. She went to the door and stood looking 
at them. Soon the children spied her and they cried, 
" Oh, come right in, little girl ! Don't be afraid." 

She was very, very tired from her long walk, but 
every one here was having such a glorious time that she 
forgot all about her aching feet and legs. She wondered 
what they could be doing. They seemed to be making 
dolls and building houses, but she couldn't make out what 
it all meant. So she went up to one of the children and 
said, " What are you playing here ? You seem to be hav- 
ing a grand time." 

" Oh, we are playing families. We are the first grade." 

" Why, isn't that fun ! How do you play ? " 

" Well, I'm the mother of my family. Jack's the 



100 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

father, and then we have four children. Wouldn't you 
like to stay and play families with us? " 

The little girl was just about to say yes when she 
looked across the hall. There she saw another group of 
children playing. 

" No — at least not just now. I think I shall go over 
there first and see what those children are playing. Thank 
you, and good-bye, for now. Perhaps I'll come back." 

The little girl hurried across the hall and walked into 
the other room. She looked around and saw toys and 
other things on a counter, and she guessed what they 
were playing there. Can any of you guess what they 
were playing? 

Yes, they were playing store. The little girl went up 
to a little boy and said, " It looks as though you were 
playing store here. Are you? " 

" Yes," answered he. " We keep a department store 
for the first-grade families. We are the second grade." 

" My ! that must be nicer than playing family," re- 
plied the visitor. 

The other children began to notice the little girl. They 
had been too busy at first. They crowded around her 
telling her about the good time they were having playing 
department store, and asking whether she wouldn't stay 
and play with them. She became so interested that she 
thought she might stay, but just as she was going to say 
yes she happened to' look up, and there across the hall she 
saw another room full of children. She excused herself 
and hurried over to them thinking they might be doing 
something that would be even more fun. Who do you 
suppose they were ? 

Yes, they were the third grade. When the little girl 
got into the room she looked around, but she didn't see 
anything going on. " Aren't you doing anything in this 
room? " said she to one of the boys in the front seats. 

" Doing anything! What do you mean? " he asked. 

" Well, in the first grade they are playing families, and 
in the second grade they are playing department store. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 101 

I looked over here and I thought that you, too, must be 
playing something." 

" No, we aren't playing anything yet, but we are going 
to. We don't want first and second grade to get ahead of 
us," the third grade cried. 

" I think I'll go back to the second grade," said the 
little girl. " They surely are having a good time there." 

" I'll tell you what to do ! You go back to second 
grade now, if you want to, but come back here the day 
after to-morrow. We shall be playing something better 
than either store or family then," a little boy called to her. 

Do you suppose the little girl came back? 

This story, well told by the teacher, brought from 
a child the anxious question, " Do you think she 
came back? " 

" I believe she did," said the teacher, " but whether 
she would stay or not depends on you, and you, and you." 
The class thereupon took hold of the work in earnest, and 
were soon deeply interested. 

(a) Preparing for the Play City 
The children wanted to start at once to put in the 
houses, streets, trees, stores, anything and everything 
which they thought belonged to a city. So the teacher 
asked a few questions without trying then to reconcile the 
conflicting answers. " How many houses shall we 
have?" "How long shall we make the streets?" 
" How large is this city to be, anyway? " 

After these questions were satisfactorily answered the 
next day, the children having also told what they had been 
able to learn in reply to the teacher's closing request that 
they try to find out the size of Trenton, its shape, and the 
number of people living in it, they were asked to recall 
what they had done first when they began work on the 
Fair. Thus the need for a diagram to guide the con- 
struction was developed. 



102 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

I. The Map or Plan. — " Shall our city imitate any 
real city, or shall it be different ? " A vote was taken on 
this point which resulted in a majority for making the 
new city as much like Trenton, their home city, as possible. 

" Then we should know just? how Trenton looks. 
Can you think of a way in which one could see the whole 
city at once?" The quick response, "From an aero- 
plane," added fuel to the flame of their interest in this 
game. So the desire to show Trenton on the floor of 
the schoolroom as it would look from an aeroplane be- 
came one of their strongest incentives. It even made the 
smallness of representation lose some of its disadvantages. 

The work was started by having an outline or ground 
plan of the school building put upon the board. Then 
the street on which the school is located was drawn. This 
happens to be one of the chief residence streets. The 
main business street, intersecting this, was next placed; 
then other important downtown streets. The necessity 
for ending these streets somewhere showed that the city 
must have a boundary, and " city limits " had to be ex- 
plained. The Delaware river, Assunpink creek, and the 
canals were next put on the map. 

The children had now gone far enough in developing 
their diagram to profit by seeing a true map of Trenton. 
This, a simple outline map, was used constantly for verifi- 
cation and reference, but the children's map grew more 
or less independently of it, as point after point was much 
more intelligibly developed by the logic of the situation 
than it could have been by a mere study of the compli- 
cated plan of Trenton. Assignments such as " Now show 
the rivers, canals, railroads," were given as needed. 

The map, when finished, was transferred by the chil- 
dren from the board to the under surface of a large oblong 
piece of oilcloth, for permanent reference. Later it was 
drawn, very much enlarged, on the floor as a guide for the 



CUmilCULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 103 

actual building of the city. This floor diagram was made 
about eight times as large as the oilcloth map. Working 
out the proportions — very roughly, of course — proved 
a valuable arithmetic lesson. 

The fact that Trenton's streets intersect at many and 
various angles and that its area is very irregular in shape 
complicated the work exceedingly. An approximately 
rectangular city, with streets running at right angles, 
would have been much easier to reproduce. Indeed, the 
head of the geography department in the Normal School, 
familiar with the city and its environs through many 
years of faithful and intelligent study and teaching, was 
sure, when the supervisor first went to her to ask for a 
simple outline map, that any representation of Trenton by 
third-graders was an impossibility. Of course the angles 
at which the streets cross each other were not reproduced 
with absolute accuracy ; relative distances were not always 
true. But the most casual observer could see that this 
play city was a miniature Trenton. The very irregularity 
of the plan of the city had its own educational values. 
For one thing, it made it necessary for the children to 
be especially careful as to directions, and developed an 
intelligence and skill in determining these which the 
writer hopes will be of value in their later work in geog- 
raphy, as well as the practical affairs of every-day life. 

2. The Construction of the Site or Foundation. — The 
children wanted to build their city on " real " earth. Dif- 
ferent samples were brought in — sand, clay, garden soil — 
and subjected to discussion and criticism. The class 
agreed that they must use garden soil, since they meant to 
plant grass, trees, and flowers in their city. So the tedious 
task of transporting this material was begun most cheer- 
fully and carried on perseveringly. The ground had 
begun to freeze and it was no easy task to find garden 
soil in the heart of the city, or to remove it when found. 



104 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

However, nearly every child helped, though several 
brought only a small paper bag full O'f earth. A few of 
the boys used their little wagons and worked like Trojans, 
until the soil was eight inches deep. Those who did most 
of this manual labor were called " the city fathers " and 
an honor list of their names was posted where it could be 
seen easily by every visitor to the little city. 

Before the soil was put on the floor, and even before 
the map was drawn there, the need for protecting the 
boards was realized. Watering the soil enough to keep 
grass and trees alive would surely spoil the floor. 

"What shall we do about it?" "Make imitation 
grass," said one. The suggestion, " Throw loose grass 
around," was immediately met by, " That would get yel- 
low." " Get sod and take it out every nig'ht to water it." 
" Put oilcloth, or tar roofing, on the floor." The children 
readily agreed that the last suggestion was the best way to 
meet the difficulty. 

" How shall we get this? " " Raymond has some tar 
paper; let him do it." Raymond said he hadn't enough. 
Lester said, " I will bring oilcloth to put down." But the 
teacher decided that this would be too expensive for one 
child to undertake. " Ask the superintendent to do it," 
met with approval, 

" How shall we ask Mr. Clark? " 

" Write him a letter." 

So the class set to work, with the following result : 

" Trenton, N. J. 

" November 12, 1918. 
" Dear Mr. Clark, 

" We are going to make a city. We want to have grass 
in it. We don't want the floor to rot. If you can, we'd 
like you to put a waterproof covering on the floor. 
" Sincerely yours, 

" Third Grade." 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 105 

Mr. Clark responded promptly, not only covering with 
tar paper the space to be occupied by the city, but f encing^ 
it in neatly with six-inch boards, to keep the soil from, 
being tracked over the rest of the floor, 

(b) Organizing the Grade Itself as a City. 

While the children were working as hard as they 
could in this play situation — digging, shoveling, carrying 
soil to school — ^the organization of the school city was 
begun. Since the third grade was to provide the play city 
background for the second-grade store and the first-grade 
families, it must assume certain obligations to these citi- 
zens. The children readily conceded that it was the city's 
duty, for example, to look after the public safety, i.e., to 
give fire protection, health protection, police protection; 
to construct lighting and water systems ; to provide public 
buildings, theaters, libraries, etc. Therefore it behooved 
the third grade to carry on a city life in school at the same 
time that the miniature city was being built on the floor. 

J. Naming the City. — The children first of all wanted 
a name for this city of theirs. The following suggestions 
were recorded on the blackboard for consideration, as 
they came from the class: 

Our City Our Big City The Normal 

Our Little City Our Fake City School City 

Rock City New City The Third City 

Pershing City The Bridge City Third Grade City 

Our Own City Victory City The Little City of 

No Man's Land United States City the Third Grade 

Victory City received a majority vote, the armistice 
having just been signed. The desks became the houses 
of the children in the school city, the teacher's desk being 
made City Hall. The aisles became the streets ; the bench 
where troublesome pupils were sometimes temporarily 
isolated became the prison — the children quite insisted on 
this ; the bookcase became the library. The sand table was 



106 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

to play a number of roles — factory, store, forest, pottery, 
bank — as occasion demanded. 

In the names chosen for the streets and the park of 
this school city, one may read the signs of the times. The 
aisles were called Flag Street, Liberty Street, Union 
Street, Honor Street, Strong Street, Brave Street, 
Trouble Street. The broadest street — the space in front of 
the desks — was named Star Avenue. The narrower space 
in the rear was Peace Street. And the playground was 
christened Army and Navy Park. Trouble Street was 
unique in that its name oscillated. It was Trouble Street 
whenever any of the residents of other streets moved into 
it — often owing to protests from neighbors who found 
that these undesirables were lowering the record of their 
home street. But it became Victorious Street when its 
residents demonstrated their fitness to return. 

The householders of each street made the signpost 
erected at the front left corner of the first house (desk). 
The writing of the signs provided an interesting pen- 
manship and spelling lesson. The best looking name 
was accepted, to be colored and pasted on the wooden 
guide board. 

A beautiful satin pennant, with a background of 
blue and the monogram V. C. in white and red, was made 
by one of the student teachers and presented to Victory 
City. This was used in various ways as a special mark 
of honor to a street or at times to an individual. 

2. The City Departments. — Very early there arose a 
real necessity for the organization of city departments; 
the streets had to be kept clean and " free from spitballs," 
as one boy put it ; the Junior Red Cross money had to be 
handled and accounted for; the plants and the tempera- 
ture of the room needed attention; and the second-grade 
store as well as the first-grade families must be protected 
in various ways. Moreover, the halls, the basement, and 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 107 

the " park " presented problems of policing, A detailed 
study of the work of the various departments in a real 
city was made, the motive being to find out how to run 
Victory City. 

(a) The Police Department. — The class made the 
following list of the duties of the police of Trenton: 

1. See that there is no blocking of traffic. 

2. Protect life and property. 

3. Prevent fighting. 

4. Chase loiterers. 

5. Give information (tell people where and how to go). 

Then what should our police department do ? 

1. Prevent fighting in school and on the campus. 

2. Prevent crowding and shoving in passing into and 
out of the room. 

3. Stop any fooling. 

4. Prevent bullying. 

5. Look after the little ones, especially the kinder- 
garten children, at recess and before and after school. 

6. Stop all calling out. 

7. Stop all children who are damaging property. 

8. Give especial protection to the sand table. (The 
care of this table had been difficult, since all the children 
on the first floor who stayed at noon lunched in the third- 
grade room without any supervision.) 

The foregoing is the list as it stood early in the year. 
Additional duties developed almost daily for a time. 

(b) The Health Department. — The commission for 
this department decided on these special duties : 

1. Attend to ventilation. 

2. Stop any spitting on the floor. 

3. See that no child sneezes or coughs without using 
a handkerchief. 

4. Keep at least four feet away from any person who 
has a cold. 



108 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

5. See that children have clean handkerchiefs. 

6. See that children come to school with clean hands, 
faces, teeth, heads. 

7. No playing with handkerchiefs and other people's 
hats. 

8. Keep hands, pencils, crayolas, out of mouths. 

9. See that board is kept clean. 

(c) The Department of Public Buildings and 
Parks. — Only a few of the duties of this department were 
formulated at first, the others being added as neces- 
sity arose. 

1. No scratching or writing on walls or desks. 

2. No careless erasing of work on board. 

3. No playing on grass when Dr. Savitz (the prin- 
cipal) asks us not to. 

4. No throwing paper or other trash on the grass of 
Army and Navy Park. 

5. Picking up any trash that may get on this grass. 

6. Reporting to the police department all children who 
mark on building with chalk or crayons. 

7. No clapping of erasers on building or steps. 

8. Dust the schoolroom. 

9. Beautify the school city: 

(a) Bring flowers, and keep the plants in the 

room healthy. 

(b) See that children write well on the board. 

(c) Bring pictures for the room. 

(d) Select the best of the class work to help 

decorate the walls. 

(e) See that there is something interesting on the 

sand table. 

(d) The Street Cleaning Department.-— 

1. Each citizen to keep his part of the street (aisle) 
on which he lives clean. 

2. Street cleaners to be appointed for Star Avenue and 
for Peace Street. 



CHRHICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 10» 

3. See that all hats and coats are hung up in the cloak 
room, 

4. See that floors are kept clean in cloak room and 
halls. 

5. Keep the basement tidy, and report to the Board of 
Health any misbehavior there. 

6. See that the waste-paper basket is passed after any 
class work that makes much trash. 

(e) The Fire Department. — A special method of drill 
for the first three grades was worked out. This did not 
supersede the regular fire drills, but was established as 
an aid to them, 

(f) The Department of Finance. — This was brought 
into being chiefly to take care of the sundry and various 
collections which occurred during the many " Drives " 
of this war year. It also looked after different small 
funds of the school city proper, e.g., the proceeds of the 
sale of the Thrift Stamp Jingle Books which the chil- 
dren made. 

(g) The Department of Public Affairs. — Planning 
for matters of general importance was the province of 
this department. The inter-grade entertainments, holi- 
day affairs, assembly meetings, civic help when needed by 
first-grade families and second-grade storekeepers, all 
came under its care. Later in the year plans for the 
closing pageant fully occupied its time. 

(h) Some General Features of the Departments. — ■ 
Officers were elected for each of these departments. It 
was not explained to the children that their departments 
of police, health, and fire were really subdivisions of the 
greater department of public safety, since it was de- 
sirable to have as many offices as possible to fill in this 
school city. The names of these departments did not 
correspond exactly to those of the commission govern- 
ment of Trenton, it being the supervisor's policy here as 



no THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

elsewhere to accept the children's own wording whenever 
possible. The exact names, moreover, connote some 
duties which would never fall within the children's ex- 
perience. Every child in the room held some office, so the 
government was truly representative. The teacher was 
elected mayor of the city. Thus was the machinery of 
government set in motion. 

Changes were frequently made; duties were added as 
needs developed; duties were cut out when needs ceased 
or when the means which had been chosen proved ineffect- 
ual. The fame of the district nurse in first grade had 
reached the school city, and suggested the election of a city 
nurse as one of the officials of the health department. 
She made daily inspections of the children's teeth, hands, 
handkerchiefs, clothing, and homes (desks). 

There was intense interest in the making of badges 
for the heads and the members of the various depart- 
ments. Each department decided on the form and content 
of its badges. The personnel of the departments changed 
every month, the teacher aiming to give each child as 
great a variety of experience as possible. 

J, Establishing Relations with ■ the Other Two 
Grades. — Now that the city was in running condition, 
it was in order to acquaint the families and the store- 
keepers with the fact that the third grade stood ready 
to give them a city's help and protection. A letter, whose 
tone showed an interesting change of attitude toward 
cooperation, was sent to each room. 

" Dear Families (or Salesmen), 

" We are going to tell you how third grade can help 
you. We are playing city. We can give you life protec- 
tion, fire protection, clean streets, lights, water, and many 
other things. Do you want us to help you ? 
" Your city friends, 

"Third Grade." 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 111 

4. The City Calendar' — The designing and making 
of the calendar was one of the art problems for each 
month. The activities and other special features of the 
month were suggested in the illustrations. The fixed or 
customary holidays were indicated in various ways. 
Crayola and cut paper were both used in making the 
pictures. In a repetition of this work it would be pos- 
sible to indicate the date of coming events in the city life. 

5. Stocking the City Library. — Another line of activ- 
ity was the enlarging of the library housed in the school 
closet. The grade decided that each child should make 
one book. All these books were alike in construction, a 
rather permanent binding being made to hold the sheets 
of foolscap paper, cut in half crosswise. In these books 
records of the different lines of work as they developed 
were to be kept. The covers were made of gray card- 
board, variously decorated with stick printing in con- 
trasting colors. 

There was one volume for the History of Victory 
City, to be written as the city grew. This was truly 
history in the making! Others were to contain original 
poems; original stories; city expense accounts; jokes; a 
record of public health work; other department records; 
descriptions of holiday celebrations; the play which the 
children wrote in connection with their study of primitive 
history (see pages 119, 129, 324) ; Robinson Crusoe, re- 
told; trips, descriptions of entertainments. These books 
were in the making throughout the year. Whenever a 
good piece of work was done by the class, it was written 
up for the library of Victory City. The child who con- 
tributed most to the production was rewarded by the 
privilege of doing the writing in the book, unless he was 
obliged to forego the honor because of poor pemnanship. 
There were also many records of individual projects, the 
** projector," of course, doing the writing in this case. 



112 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Some samples of work from these books are given in the 
Appendix. Thus was begun an " evolution of the 
book," which the writer hopes will be continued in the 
higher grades. 

6. Club Life. — The dramatic club and the three read- 
ing clubs formed an interesting feature of the city organ- 
ization. At first the children formed their own groups, 
but such differences of ability developed that they them- 
selves asked the teacher to rearrange them. In this pro- 
cess, children of like attainments were put together and 
each club was allowed to progress as fast as it could. 
These groups selected chairmen for their meetings. Each 
chairman held office during the reading and development 
of one story. If the tale was a very short one, a second 
term was allowed, unless the officer had proved unsatis- 
factory, in which case the club gladly made a change. 
The chairman was responsible for the mode of conducting 
the meetings, for the progress of the work, and for the 
behavior of the members. He usually asked the children 
for suggestions in the choice of the next story. The story 
chosen, he was expected to work out a scheme of pro- 
cedure before the first meeting. Books and stories were 
either selected from the " city " library or brought from 
home. In the latter case, they were first submitted for 
the teacher's approval. 

The meetings of the clubs were conducted more or 
less independently of the teacher, who " visited around " 
among them, to answer questions or make suggestions. 
She spent most of her time with the weakest club, which 
was able to handle only second-grade reading material at 
first, but which succeeded in bringing most of its mem- 
bers up to the standard by the end of the term. 

Whenever a club had worked a story up to the sharing 
point, they notified the teacher, and she arranged an inter- 
club meeting to hear it Sometimes the entertainment 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 113 

took the form of reading ; sometimes the story was told. 
Occasionally it was given in pantomime ; frequently it was 
dramatized. There were many inter-club contests, as well 
as entertainments for first and second — occasionally also 
for some of the higher — grades. 

(c) The Building of the Play City 

While this organization of the school city was going 
on, the building of the play city was begun, (pp. 102-105 ) 

J. Grading. — " In riding on a train, how many of you 
have noticed how the track changes in slope? " " Where 
are the hills in Trenton ? " 

The contour of the land was determined roughly by 
questioning the children as to their trips down town — 
which were recognized as being " down hill " ; their visits 
to the outlying park — ^which lies much higher than the 
heart of the city; the streets on which they coast and the 
direction their sleds run on these; the good coasting 
places in the park; the slope from the main street to the 
river and to other streets, etc. The supervisor, being a 
comparative newcomer in Trenton, secured a government 
contour sheet to enable her tO' guide this development at 
the least possible expense of time and to check it up with 
confidence. The children then piled up the earth in the 
proper places and graded from these to the river and creek. 

2. River and Canal Building. — The most pressing 
problem now for these little city builders was to decide 
how to put in the Delaware river, Assunpink creek, and 
the forked canal, since these interrupt the course of 
many streets. 

In the first place the teacher's questions, " Shall they 
be made alike? " "Are they alike?" made it necessary 
for the children to take trips to see the diflFerences. They 
returned with very definite observations and straightway 
set to work to evolve ways of embodying these. The 
8 



114 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

natural stream beds had to have irregular banks as well 
as courses, and yet " must hold water." The canals, flow- 
ing in man-made channels, must have straight courses and 
regular or even banks, and these too must be water-tight. 

They began with the canals. After many trials, suc- 
cess crowned wooden troughs with enough waterproof 
cement in the bottom and at the ends to seal the joints. 
These were sunk in the earth on the lines shown by the 
floor diagram, or rather established again by comparison 
with the wall map, only a few landmarks having been 
kept distinct when the earth was put on the floor. 

Then the irregular channels of river and creek were 
excavated and lined with ordinary cement. It proved 
necessary to line these further with a thin layer of the 
more expensive waterproof variety. Where these chan- 
nels entered and left the city limits they were closed by 
shaping the cement as the circumstances required. 

These waterways proved valuable for forcing home 
the facts of evaporation. Capillary attraction was also 
taught, though the term was not introduced. The chil- 
dren were eager to understand the occasional emptying 
of the channel much too fast to be accounted for by 
evaporation. Sometimes this was due to carelessness in 
bringing the' earth along the banks too far up over the 
cement edges; occasionally, to the accidental leaving of 
a piece of cloth extending over the edge into the water. 
The refilling of the river, creek, and canals as often as 
need arose was considered a great honor. 

The street cleaning department looked after the 
periodic scrubbing of the stream beds, for these bits of 
stagnant water were not overlooked by the Board of 
Health as among possible disease-breeders. One of the 
joys of the children's hearts was to construct boats 
of different form and materials and sail them on 
these waterways. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 115 

J. Road Making. — The planning of this work was put 
into the hands of the department of streets and public 
improvements, the name of the department being enlarged 
at this time since the term which expressed its duties in the 
school city was too narrow to cover its share of building 
the play city. 

" What streets shall be laid out first? " was the opening 
question. Having decided on making the main or most 
used streets, there were trips to see how each was paved. 

Each kind of street was considered from three points 
of view: how it is made; why it is thus made; and how 
this sort of road first happened to be made. Dirt, gravel, 
macadam, woodblock, cobble, cement, and asphalt roads 
were the varieties studied. Each of these is found in or 
near Trenton, and all were represented in Victory City. 
Before the actual construction on the floor was begun, 
the details of the method were worked out on the 
sand table. 

Much attention was given to the necessity of making 
a good road bed. Sand, gravel, and pebbles were freely 
used, layer upon layer, for this purpose. Care was taken 
to put a good crown in the road to secure effective drain- 
age. The children made their own box for mixing cement ; 
and the melting of tar for the asphalt construction was 
a difficulty triumphantly surmounted by these youthful 
city builders. The history of road development proved 
interesting and the children never tired of telling visitors 
how the coming of automobiles and the increase of heavy 
traffic had made the building of more substantial roads 
necessary. The writer feels sure that this experience will 
cause the children to notice the roads they travel on foot 
and in auto, wagon, or train, and will ensure their " carry- 
ing on " for good roads as they grow up. 

After the roads had hardened and in some cases 
cracked, the department took up the question of keeping 



116 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

the streets in good condition. The cracks were mended 
and a periodic sweeping and scrubbing was instituted. 
The girls in the grade were especially interested in this 
part of the work. 

As soon as the main roads were completed the children 
made signposts of wood, upon which the street names 
were printed. 

4. Bridge Building. — " But here is a road running 
straight up against the canal or the river. What is to be 
done ? " Building bridges was of course the only pos- 
sible solution of this problem — a solution suggested 
almost before the problem was faced, for many of these 
children had crossed such bridges every day of their lives. 

The kind of bridge to be put up was settled by a trip 
to see the bridge at the corresponding intersection in 
Trenton. So there were built steel bridges (mechano toy 
construction), wooden bridges, and concrete bridges. 
There was even one drawbridge, the work of a very 
promising third-grade engineer, who planned and worked 
out its serviceable poiUey arrangement without hint or 
suggestion. This bridge crossed the canal on State 
Street, the main thoroughfare from the school to the 
shopping district. 

The concrete bridges were made in box molds, a piece 
of tin being bent to form the arch and placed lengthwise 
in the box before the concrete was poured in. When the 
mass had hardened, the sides of the box were broken 
away; in some cases the piece of tin dropped out; in 
others it stuck, owing to a little leakage of the cement 
over its edges. 

During the construction work, pictures of world- 
famed bridges were shown to the children, and the evolu- 
tion of bridges was studied, from the simple throwing of 
stepping stones into the water or the laying of a tree trunk 
across the stream, through the " grapevine " method of 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 117 

linking the tops of trees on opposite banks, to the com- 
plicated structures of the present day. 

5. Publicity Work. — While roads, waterways, and 
bridges were in building, other lines of activity were not 
overlooked. Early in the development of the project, the 
children of this grade, like those of the other two, decided 
to advertise their work and at the same time to brighten 
their section of the hall and cut off the possibility of inter- 
ruption by passers-by. So work was started on a " city " 
poster, to be placed on the glass partition. This was a 
cut-paper affair, representing a night view of Trenton. 
Church spires, houses, the dome of the capitol, bridges, 
trees, and curling clouds of smoke — all in black and gray 
— were silhouetted against a background of lavender and 
purple, with numerous yellow or orange spots of light 
indicating the windows of factories and dwellings, and the 
electric sign, VICTORY CITY, glittering among the 
stars. The art work involved in working out this poster 
assumed many phases, involving varied principles and 
practical units of work. Beauty of form and massing in 
silhouette pictures were emphasized. Unfortimately, the 
colors used for this poster happened to be such that a nega- 
tive of it could not be obtained, so it does not appear in 
the illustrations. 

6. Park Making. — ^After the waterways, the streets, 
and the bridges were completed, the large and beautiful 
park was laid out. A trip to Cadwalader Park gave the 
class abundant ideas for making its monuments and other 
notable features, and resulted in their learning some of 
the local history connected with them, for example, Wash- 
ington's crossing of the Delaware near Trenton. The 
Zoo was represented, its wooden cages holding plasticene 
animals. Grass seed was planted, and the park slopes 
finally came to need occasional mowing ! 



118 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

The placing of the park monuments suggested show- 
ing other hi'storical statues or landmarks in the city. 
Accordingly Battle Monument and the Swamp Angel, 
the latter at the corner of the school campus, were 
promptly erected. 

Another phase of park making came much later in 
the year, when the third grade's plot in the school garden 
became a city garden. In the center of the space assigned 
to this class, an oblong flower garden was laid out, red 
verbenas being planted to form a large V, white verbenas 
making a C, and blue a G. The remaining ground was 
divided into seven plots, each to be worked by the dwellers 
on one street of the school city. The vegetables grown 
in these seven gardens were sold to the domestic science 
lunch room in the Normal School, and the money added 
to a fund which was used finally to help pay for the re- 
freshments for the Mothers' Party at the end of the year. 

7. House Building. — " But Victory City has not yet 
a single inhabitant ! What shall we do about this ? " 

" Make houses for the people," came spontaneously 
from the class, and the decision that each child should be 
responsible for making and placing his own house needed 
no engineering. 

Each pupil now assumed the role of contractor and 
made plans and specifications for the building of his home. 
These houses were to be made of materials resembling as 
closely as possible those of their prototypes. Had these 
children come up from a first and a second grade in which 
the curriculum here outlined was in force, they would 
have found here an excellent chance for review of house 
construction and a saving of time for some phases of the 
work that were eventually crowded out of this year. 
As it was, brick, frame, and cement construction had to 
be studied de novo. 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 119 

Plans were submitted, sizes worked out, locations de- 
cided upon, and the building operations actually started. 
Since it was difficult for the children tO' walk in the city 
without making serious work for the department of 
streets and public improvements, the houses were built 
on pieces of board or heavy cardboard and not placed in 
the city until they had dried and been painted. 

New streets had to be laid out, in many cases, to 
permit the proper location of the houses. Each child 
built the street upon which he lived, if it was not already 
represented in the city. He was made responsible for the 
direction it took, the material it was made of, and its 
actual construction, but was allowed to enlist the help of 
any child whose home street had already been placed in 
the city. Children living on the same street of course 
shared the work. This meant a thorough review of 
road building. 

About the time that this home-building began, the 
children, in their study of primitive life — described as 
section (d), beginning on page 129 — began to organize 
the first act of the play which was to be given at the close 
of the year. This brought into strong contrast modes of 
living in the past and in the present. As they planned 
and constructed the " properties " for this play and built 
the miniature houses of Victory City, they drew many 
interesting comparisons between their own comfortable 
homes and those of primitive peoples. 

8. The Erection of the Public Buildings. — One of the 
most valuable phases of the whole project was the study 
of public buildings, followed by the making and placing 
of those of Victory City. The need for such buildings 
was easily made evident as soon as homes were put into 
the city. Moreover, the class's readings in primitive his- 
tory had brought to consciousness the necessity for some 
form of government as soon as a number of people begin 



120 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

to live together. Thus the housing of the government 
agencies of Victory City was easily accepted as the next 
matter for consideration. 

The Municipal Building claimed attention first, since 
it stands on the direct route from the school to the center 
of things down town. This suggested the building of the 
gilt-domed State House. Immediately there arose dis- 
cussion and argument concerning thq difference between 
city and state government, which resulted in emphasizing 
Trenton's importance as the capital of the state. A few 
of the children lived near the Court House, and they 
initiated the demand for a seat of the county government. 
So the main lines of difference of city, county, and state 
governments were drawn. 

The other buildings which the class wanted to show 
are listed below, but space limits the account of the lessons 
in connection with each. Only a few of the more impor- 
tant sections of the work can be considered, and these but 
briefly. The list of buildings put on the board as sugges- 
tions came from the class read as follows : 



1. 


Post office 


7- 


Hotels 


2. 


State Normal School and 


8. 


Banks 




Training School 


9- 


Railroad station 


3- 


One city school 


lO. 


Garbage crematory 


4. 


Public Hbrary 


II. 


Reservoir 


5. 


Theater 


12. 


Power houses 


6. 


Churches 


13- 


Armory 



The post office was studied in great detail and every 
child was taught how to buy stamps, to register letters, 
to send parcel post packages, special delivery letters, and 
money orders. The school city during this period estab- 
lished its own play post office, where all the transactions 
just named were carried on, blanks, cancelled stamps, etc., 
having been obtained at the city post office. This work 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 121 

afforded ample opportunity for very practical arithmetic 
lessons. Drills in the form of post office games were 
very popular. The duties of the postmaster and the clerks 
were carefully studied. 

While the Trenton Public Library was under discus- 
sion, the library of the school city was more definitely 
organized. The books were catalogued by the children. 
Librarians were appointed. The need for library rules 
was urgent, and a set of these was formulated by the 
class. Cards were made to be used in circulating the 
books. The children ran this library themselves. There 
were about sixty books in it, gathered by teachers and 
children, interesting books for third-graders to read. 
In addition there were what the children called their 
" home-made " books, which have already been described. 
(See page iii.) In spite of their unfinished condition, 
these were a very important part of the library. 

In connection with this work, the children, in succes- 
sive groups of four or five, were taken by the student 
teachers to the children's department of the public library, 
and practically every child became a reader of the books 
there. In this way the library habit was started. 

While considering the construction of the hospital, a 
comer of the room housing the school city was fitted up 
with supplies for first aid — absorbent cotton, gauze, bot- 
tles of iodine, peroxide, and collodion, a pair of scissors, 
courtplaster, and a package of needles for removing splin- 
ters. These were kept in sealed packages and tin boxes, 
and the importance of not allowing them to lie exposed to 
the air was emphasized. The " first-aid station " was put 
in charge of the school city nurse and a municipal doctor 
was appointed to share her responsibilities. Their duties, 
in addition to the daily health inspection of the citizens, 
were to take care of the " first-aid " materials, to help 
the sick or injured in the first and the second, as well as 



122 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

the third grade, and to take children with colds or other 
evidence of illness to the Normal School doctor and nurse. 

The railroad station suggested trips to the children, 
so imaginary journeys for business or pleasure were 
taken by these third-grade citizens. Here was a fine 
chance for further map study of an elementary type. 

" The theater " meant, for most of these children, 
moving pictures ; and, while this building was under con- 
sideration, some interesting work was done on Robinson 
Crusoe, which the children were reading in connection 
with their study of primitive life. Large pictures were 
drawn on bogus paper, showing various phases of his life, 
and legends were written to accompany them, so as to 
form a scenario. For a time the room became the " State 
Street Theater." One by one, the pictures were held up 
and the legends read silently. At a later performance, 
to which the other two grades were invited, one of the 
third-graders read the legends aloud, unfolding step by 
step the development of Crusoe's life. 

A study of the question of water supply involved the 
construction and placing of a fine "waterproof" reservoir. 

An interesting phase of the work had to be omitted, 
to the children's great disappointment, because the neces- 
sary equipment, ordered the previous June, failed to 
arrive and the fact that the order had somehow become 
sidetracked was not discovered in time to get a new 
order through the necessary red tape. This was the light- 
ing of the miniature city. The mode of carrying out this 
enterprise was thoroughly discussed, but the tiny bulbs 
were never strung up and made to glow by connection 
with the electric chandelier just over the city. The chil- 
dren were obliged to content themselves with the making 
and placing of the power house. 

In this development of the public buildings, each child 
assumed responsibility for one building, and it was his 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 123 

task to convince the class of the necessity for that building 
before the work on it was begun. The children became 
fine critics of one another. If the child who was present- 
ing the case omitted important points or made false 
statements, there were usually two or three ready to call 
him to order. 

p. Going into Business. — Now that the city life 
seemed to have started in earnest, it behooved the city 
folk to find some way of making a living. At first each 
child wanted to select a line of business and carry it on by 
himself, but a little guidance on the part of the teacher 
convinced him that he could save time and run a better 
business if he allowed the others to help. So each selected 
the kind of business he would like to m<inage, and all the 
children helped to develop it on a sort of cooperative basis. 

(a) The Victory City Times. — One of the first enter- 
prises started was a newspaper. A visit to the Trenton 
Times building kindled great enthusiasm, and it was not 
long before the manager had appointed his staff — editors, 
reporters, cartoonists, collectors. 

Large sheets of real news print were given tO' the 
grade by the Trenton Times people. There were many 
disadvantages in using this: the sheets were too large 
to handle easily ; it was imruled ; it didn't take ink well. 
But nothing else counted so much with the children as 
the fact that this was the kind of paper used by the real 
Trenton Times; so they were allowed to use it. Columns 
were ruled, and in some cases lines also ; this work was in 
itself good training. When a child proved himself able 
to write straight without lines he was allowed to do- so, 
and this proved a spur to effort. 

To make a characteristic heading, a simple city scene 
was cut on linoleum and used to stamp each paper. It 
was placed at the top of the sheet, in the center, with 
VICTORY printed on one side of it and CITY on the 



124 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Other. News items of all sorts were " printed," events of 
interest going on in all the grades — the first three of 
course being most largely represented — and in the Normal 
School. There was a joke space, a space for recording 
absences, a column of personals. The different city de- 
partments often contributed important items, and adver- 
tisements of all sorts were inserted. 

The paper motivated much of the work in language, 
spelling, and pienmanship. It was issued only once a month 
because the labor of getting articles transferred from 
regular class papers to the news sheet was difficult to 
manage. Four copies formed each issue — one for the 
principal, one for the manager, one to be given to the 
person who worked hardest on it, and one for the file 
in Victory City library. 

(b) The Victory City Pottery.— A tea set for first 
grade was the need which the pottery was established 
to meet. The children were taken to the plant where the 
beautiful and famous Beleek ware is made. This was a 
very special event, for few visitors are admitted to this 
art pottery. The children were allowed to see every de- 
partment but that inner sanctum, the decorating room. 
This was denied, since the loss by any breakage after the 
final finish had been applied would have been double that 
caused hy a similar accident in the earlier stages of the 
work — perhaps much more than double. 

The pottery industry is one of the principal activities 
of Trenton. Since it employed the parents of many of the 
children, the location of the plants, the kinds of ware 
made in each, the need for different kinds, were studied 
in considerable detail. The clay, as well as the pottery, 
centers in New Jersey were discussed, a map being made 
for each. Some of these centers in other parts of the 
United States were marked on a large outline map. Pot- 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 125 

tery centers were indicated by drawing a little cup or 
some other piece of china on each one. 

Finally the Victory City Pottery was established, and 
work on the tea set was begun. Each child made one piece. 
Those who had proved themselves, in the building of the 
city, especially skillful in working clay, made the three 
large pieces, teapot, sugar bowl, and cream pitcher. The 
others made cups, saucers, and plates. The children car- 
ried their ware to the pottery, where it went through the 
firing with few accidents. 

Much interest was shown in the art problem of design- 
ing a decoration for the tea set. All the children sub- 
mitted designs and, after a class discussion, the matter 
was decided by vote. The design receiving the highest 
number of votes was a conventional border of orange and 
black units. 

When the dishes were brought back from the pottery, 
the pattern was applied with crayola and covered with 
a light coat of shellac. Each child had the pleasure of 
carrying his own piece to the first-grade room and pre- 
senting it to the families. The manager of the pottery 
made the presentation speech. 

(c) The Furniture Factory. — This was another of 
the industries studied in detail. There was a real need 
for a supply of extra chairs for use by the city clubs and 
by the whole class when it was desirable to have them sit 
around the little city during the development of new work. 
Why should not the city undertake to supply this demand ? 
In order to enable the children to decide what sort of wood 
it would be best to use, specimens of different varieties 
were shown and tested as to their hardness and the finish 
taken by each. Relative cost and ease of working were 
considered before the choice was made. 

A lumber camp was set up on the sand table, showing 
the story of the wood from the time it left its forest home 



126 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

till it was ready for the hands of third-grade furniture 
makers. In writing up this story for the record of the 
industries of Victory City, the children added the steps 
which brought the wood to its final home in the third- 
grade chairs. Sources of wood were shown by indicating 
the chief lumber centers of the United States on a large 
outline map. The interesting method of pasting a pressed 
leaf of the prevailing kind of tree in the center of each 
area was made possible by the cooperation of the biology 
department of the Normal School. 

The children studied the trees on the campus and on 
the streets near the school at this time. For their Arbor 
Day contribution, they tried to start a number of tiny 
trees in their city, by planting some willow twigs which 
had rooted in water in the schoolroom after their " pus- 
sies " had fallen off. A few of these lived, despite shallow 
soil and irregular watering; these were finally trans- 
planted to the campus. The whole problem of growing 
trees in a city assumed a new interest to these children. 

In discussing the form of the chairs to be made, the 
class decided that they ought to be alike, since they were 
to be used as a set. A simple mission design having been 
decided upon, the children worked out together the size 
and amount of stock needed for one chair. It was a pretty 
tough problem for them as an arithmetic class, to deter- 
mine the total order. Each used his own method at first, 
and they showed intense interest in checking up each 
other's results and in discovering the shortest and easiest 
way to make the calculation. The order having been put 
in good form, the children became a class in English and 
wrote a letter to the head of the manual training depart- 
ment ordering the wood. 

Each child assumed responsibility for the making of 
one chair. A screw construction was used and all the 
children learned to use the brace-and-bit, some of them 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 127 

acquiring considerable skill. The finished chairs were 
stained brown. They proved invaluable to the little citi- 
zens. But at the end of school so many requests came 
from proud parents, as well as the children themselves to 
be allowed to buy the chairs, that it was decided to let 
each child have his own chair. This was enough to make 
even the least enthusiastic of the furniture makers feel 
fully repaid for his labor. 

The following suggestion helped to impress the lesson 
of appreciation begun by the study of the growth of the 
trees and of the work of a lumber camp : " While you are 
working on your chairs, do not forget how many things 
had to be done to the wood before it reached you and how 
many men worked hard to prepare it for you. So do not 
waste it." 

(d) The Candy Kitchen. — The last industry which 
time permitted the class to work out in any detail was 
the manufacture of candy — for this grade, like the others, 
failed to realize the full possibilities of the curriculum 
owing to the interruption of their work by the epidemic 
of influenza. 

The motive for initiating this enterprise was the pro- 
viding of sweets for the Mothers' Party, soon to come off. 
Candy recipes were brought by teachers and children, and 
submitted for class discussion and judgment. The fac- 
tors of cost, food value, and ease of preparation formed 
the criteria for selection. At last a recipe was offered 
which required no sugar, needed no cooking, and con-' 
tained more real food elements than any of the others. 
It called for raisins, nuts, and cocoanut, the three to be 
mixed, run through a meat chopper, and then made into 
balls. After the chopper was set up and the ingredients 
placed in dishes on the teacher's desk, every child washed 
his hands and helped in the preparing and grinding of 
the materials. Then the portion decided upon was rolled 



128 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

into a ball and wrapped in one of the squares of waxed 
paper which had been cut beforehand. The children were 
sure no better candy had ever been made, and the mothers 
seemed to agree with them. 

A candy song, based upon Field's " Gingham dog and 
calico cat" and called "The peppermint dog and the 
chocolate cat," was made to be sung at the party. Fur- 
ther preparation for this great event involved the decorat- 
ing of paper napkins and plates, two very interesting fine 
arts problems. Lemonade and crackers were served, in 
addition to the candy. 

The children calculated very carefully the cost of all 
this food, and paid for it out of a fund which they had 
started by selling the Thrift Stamp Jingle Books they 
had made, and which was augmented by the sale of the 
vegetables raised in the school city garden. This fund 
was administered by the city treasurer, who kept account 
of all items received and paid out. His books were audited 
much more frequently than is customary in " real " life, 
not merely because he was a very young and inexperienced 
accountant, but because the teacher wished to give the 
training afforded by this auditing to as many of the little 
citizens as possible. 

All the problems arising in this business life, as well 
as those encountered in the work of constructing the city 
itself, resulted in very vital arithmetical training. Build- 
ing operations involved frequent demands for measuring 
and ordering materials, for calculating the time spent and 
the wages due the workers, for determining relative pro- 
portions and sizes. Moreover, after the completion of 
each unit of work, the finance department had to meet 
the bills. There was one series of lessons in paying for 
roads, the cost of materials and the time spent being 
figured on, and bills being then made out, paid, and 
receipted. Paying for canals, bridges, parks, houses, 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 129 

monuments, public buildings provided subject matter for 
other series. The usual drills in processes — such drills as 
are described in the account of first- and second-grade 
work — were given whenever a need for them mani- 
fested itself. 

(d) The Study of Primitive Life 

As soon as the city building began, the study of primi- 
tive history was started as a parallel interest. Book I— 
The Seeds in Primitive Life — of the writer's series, How 
the Present Came From the Past, was used as a guide. 
This work attempts to show children in a simple way the 
evolution of human institutions and of the commodities 
which now satisfy our needs and our desires, showing the 
origin of many familiar things and customs. So, while the 
little children built their modern homes in Victory City, 
there grew up on the sand table models of other homes — 
tree-top, cave, and hut — and life within these simple dwell- 
ings was compared with our own complex life. In this 
connection the children were greatly interested in reading 
and dramatizing Robinson Crusoe, and worked out an 
interesting sand-table story of his life. They frequently 
read the stories of primitive life given in the Dopp Books 
and searched eagerly for primitive myths and legends to 
add to those which form Part II of each book of How 
the Present Came From the Past. But the readers and 
other juvenile books which the clubs handled gave prac- 
tically nothing but a few Indian tales. 

As each chapter of their textbook was read, it was 
dramatized as one act of the play which was to form part 
of the pageant closing the year's work for the three 
grades. The preparation for this pageant was in itself 
a valuable phase of the year's school life, and in addition 
furnished unforced motive for much of the other work. 
The scenery to be used, and ways and means of making 
9 



130 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

it in those times of high prices and scarcity, formed the 
subiject of many thought-provoked and thought-provok- 
ing talks. Many of the suggestions in the " Can you? " 
sections of the book were carried out by individuals, by 
groups, or by the class, and any of the products which 
would serve as " properties " were used in the rehearsals 
and kept for the final production. So when June came, 
message sticks, bull-roarers, boomerangs, marked stones, 
forms of pottery, skins for clothing, were ready for use. 
This incidentally saved much time, nerve-strain, and 
hasty, ill-done work in the last days before the great event. 

As the play was built, it was written out on the board 
and the teacher copied each installment for future refer- 
ence. The children did not memorize their parts, but 
made their own speeches each time the play was rehearsed. 
Indeed, up to a certain point, different children played 
each role in successive rehearsals. When the teacher was 
satisfied that all the children had got all the training 
possible under these conditions, the actors for the final 
performance were selected, or rather elected. At this 
stage of the work, each child began to make his own 
copy of the play, to be used in the last review in June. 
The citizen who produced the best version — for the 
speeches never became definitely " set " — legibility and 
neatness being also taken into account, was allowed to 
copy the act in which he had excelled in the book of 
" The Primitive Play " intended for the city library. The 
whole play would probably form wearisome reading for 
adults. The " argument," or general movement, is clearly 
outHned in the " Can you? " material already referred to, 
and the transmutation of these suggestions into the details 
of childish form is sufficiently indicated in the acts given 
in the Appendix. 

Making scenery became a major art problem late in 
the spring. Sheets O'f heavy paper, nearly three yards 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 131 

long, were used, anything more permanent being too 
expensive. Huge trees of the primitive forest were drawn 
on separate sheets, after preHminary practice on the ordi- 
nary drawing paper. These were colored with crayola, 
and were finally cut out, to be mounted on a wooden 
skeleton in such a way as to stand alone. Some of these 
drawings, ready for this final treatment, may be seen in 
the picture of Victory City facing page 114, thumb-tacked 
against the blackboard. This means of preserving the 
drawings unrubbed served until the play drew near enough 
to warrant cutting out and mounting the trees, for there 
was no available space for storing them in this bulky 
and rather unstable form. These trees formed the wings 
and middle ground of the stage setting. In their branches 
the Tree Family was supposed to have its -home, a con- 
venient stepladder being concealed behind a clump of trees. 

The class drew, as a background for the stage, a huge 
primitive forest scene, showing a stream of water, rocks, 
bushes, flowers, birds, and four-footed animals. This 
picture was so large that the paper had to be fastened up 
on the wall of an unused room, and the children stood on 
chairs to work on the tree-tops. This problem proved 
beyond a doubt to those who saw the scenery in the mak- 
ing, as well as in its finished state, the value of providing 
opportunity for a very large and free type of expression. 

The tree-dwellers' costumes were made of ecru cotton 
cloth, cut into fringes at the lower edges. On these simple 
tunics, cut and made by themselves, they drew vivid 
green branches and leaves. The teacher helped the 
monkey child to plan and cut his close-fitting garment of 
this same cloth. A later act represented the use of animal 
skins for clothing. These skins were cut from burlap, 
and on them were painted the tiger's stripes, the lion's 
head, the leopard's spots. Some of these were so wrapped 
around children who went about on all fours as to make 



132 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

them animals for the occasion. One or two skin rugs 
were borrowed for the final performance. An elephant's 
head, with formidable tusks of white cardboard, was 
made from gray muslin, stuffed, and adjusted to peep 
from the cave home. This was constructed of boxes 
loosely piled up and roughly covered with crumpled gray 
paper to imitate rocks. A snake made of old black stock- 
ings, foot and toe being converted into a fairly realistic 
head, hung from one of the trees, 

(e) The Closing Ikter-grade Pageant 

Since it seemed impossible to give even an inadequate 
resume of a year's work in one act, it was decided to have 
three " episodes," one for each grade. The first of these, 
Primitive Family Life, was given by the third grade; the 
second grade came next, with The Assunpink Tribe's Corn 
Festival; while A Modern Family Reunion, by the first 
grade, brought the story up to the present time. 

The first episode represented the growth of civilization 
through the hut-dwelling period. The opening scenes are 
given in the Appendix, page 324, After the third-grade 
children had shown man in the tree-tops, his finding ways 
and means of killing and using animals, his discovery 
and use of fire, his moving into cave homes under the spur 
of changing temperature, his meeting with migrating hut- 
dwelling tribes whom he teaches and from whom he 
learns, they retired to the back of the stage and stowed 
themselves away as compactly as possible while the second 
grade filed on for the next episode. 

Some of the Assunpinks wore the conventional Indian 
costume, but most of them represented Corn Spirits and 
were decked with green, and orange crepe paper to suggest 
ears of corn. The festival represented the gathering of 
the tribe, followed by the planting" and harvesting of the 
corn with the accompanying prayers to the Great Spirit, 



CURRICULUM AS WORKED OUT IN TRENTON 133 

songs, dances, and games. Some of these had been given 
to the children, in simpHfied form, from an authoritative 
work on Indian festivals, so as to lead them into the spirit 
of the occasion, but many of them were made by the class, 
to adapt the festivities to this particular tribe. Their 
act finished, the Indians retired behind the trees or hid 
in the caves during the first grade's contribution. (See 
picture facing page 132.) 

The third episode was a simple playing out of family 
life in the preparation for a reunion, and a representation 
of the party itself. One of the families set the " scenery," 
arranging the furniture in the center of the stage, cleaning 
and dusting the sitting-room thus formed, and putting on 
the final touch by arranging the flowers in the pretty In- 
dian bowl in the center of the table. The second family 
then appeared, to act as hosts. The third family called 
and were entertained by conversation, music, and danc- 
ing. Then the fourth family came in, bringing the pretty 
tea set which third grade had made earlier in the year, 
arranging the table, and serving tea and cakes to the 
guests. The food having been eaten, the fifth family 
removed the dishes and rearranged the table. Then the 
families, supposedly proceeding to the piazza for the eve- 
ning, walked off the stage, followed by the Indians, the 
" wild people " bringing up the rear. 

One of the last group stopped long enough to make a 
speech, inviting the mothers of the children of the three 
grades down to the city room for refreshments. This 
room wore a festive dress, all the children having worked 
with a will to clean it up, clearing away all tools and all 
the work except some of the best — which was left for 
decoration and for the delectation of fond parents— cover- 
ing all surfaces with white paper, and arranging the food 
on the tables, using the plates, cups, and napkins which 
had been decorated for the occasion. 



134 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Lemonade, crackers, and the candy made by third 
grade having been duly enjoyed, the year's work was 
ended by distributing among the children most of the 
things which they had made. Houses, bridges, monu- 
ments, even the streets and the canals, were carried out 
of the city by their proud creators. The store was like- 
wise rapidly demolished and its stock scattered among the 
cooperating proprietors. Each of the first-grade children 
was allowed to take his or her doll. The houses were 
carried off by groups of children living near enough to one 
another to make it possible for them to play together 
during the summer. One house was given to the kinder- 
garten, along with the cherished tea set. 

Thus ended the happiest year the writer has ever spent 
in the schoolroom; and she has reason to believe that 
nearly lOO per cent, oi the children were just as happy. 
It is hard to state all that they learned. The outcomes 
listed in Section IV, however, give some idea of the scope 
of the project, and show what was taught. Whether 
every one of these facts, habits, skills, attitudes, apprecia- 
tions, ideals was learned by all the children cannot be 
any more definitely proved than can the learning of what 
is taught under other types of curriculums. 



SECTION II 

THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 
AND AN EVALUATION OF EACH 

THESES * 

1. Since play is essential for the maximal development 

of the child, this fact should be definitely recognized 

in the organization of a, curriculum. (page 138) 

(a) Forced activities, either intellectual or motor, 

are not educative in the fullest sense and 

often result in fatigue. (page 142) 

(&) Play eliminates the necessity for forced effort, 

making school work truly educative for 

teacher as well as child. (page 143) 

(c) The spontaneous play of childhood frequently 

imitates the activities of adult life, (page 143) 

2. Life necessities and comforts are sufficiently significant 

to be made the basis for a curriculum. (page 146) 

(a) Human relationships in family, local com- 
munity, country, and finally the world, sup- 
ply the subject matter for such a curriculum. 

(page 148) 
(&) In any locality, the details of these relation- 
ships, wisely chosen and articulated, will 
organize the life of the school. (page 154) 
(c) A study of the origin, production, and pro- 
cesses of manufacture of the child's life neces- 
sities and comforts will not only develop a 
sympathetic appreciation of the inter-rela- 
tions of society, not only lead to a wise 
selection and use of the articles themselves, 
but will also afford a better medium for the 
teaching of the three R's and the other tra- 

* For evaluations, see pages indicated. 

135 



136 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

ditional subject matter than is found in the 
conventional school. (page 155) 

3. These ends can be best attained by the child's playing 

out the experiences of the family, the community, 
and the world. (page 157) 

(a) The first grade may be organized into a num- 

ber of families, and family life may be imi- 
tated in the schoolroom. 

(b) The second grade may, in a city, keep a de- 

partment store to furnish necessities and 
comforts to the families of the first grade 
and to function in the life of the third grade. 
In a village or rural school, a number of 
unit stores, or a " general store " may 
be kept. 

(c) The third grade may become a miniature city 

or village. 

(d) National and international relations will or- 

ganize the work of the next three grades, 
but the experiment described in Section I 
was necessarily confined to first, second, 
and third. 

4. Such playing out of life institutions in school will 

organize the subject matter of language, arithmetic, 
history, geography, physical education, industrial 
and fine arts (including music) in .such a way as to 
establish maximal as well as minimal essentials of 
the curriculum. (page 162) 

5. A curriculum thus formed will insure unforced mo- 

tivation, thus relieving the pressure of method. 

(page 164) 

(a) Such an organization will bring about natural 

correlations and prevent disjointed work. 

(page 167) 

(b) Such an organization will allow for individual 

freedom, initiative, and originality. It will 
help the child to discover his own aptitudes 
and abilities, and will afford the teacher 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 137 

effective means of training these aptitudes 
and abilities. (ps-g'e 170) 

(c) Since the work of each grade will require the 
repetition and enlarging of the subject mat- 
ter of the preceding grade, drill in content is 
provided without special mechanism, while 
the necessary drill in processes may be made 
either an integral or a related part of the 
project. (pa?e 172) 

6. School rewards and punishments will parallel those of 

real life, since individual success in this play life in- 
volves group as well as individual satisfaction ; while 
failure brings group disapproval which spurs the in- 
dividual to renewed effort or induces him to choose 
another line of activity. (pa-ge 175) 

7. While a special plant is desirable for this sort of school, 

the new organization can be begun in a building of 
the ordinary type and at moderate expense, since the 
children can furnish much of the initial equipment 
and can make more and more of it as the organiza- 
tion develops. (page 178) 

8. A curriculum built on projects duplicating life experi- 

ences, and widening as the experience of the child 
widens, creates or fosters in teachers a live interest 
in their profession and promotes their personal as 
;well as professional growth, as the more formal 
curriculum seldom does. (page 179) 

(a) Such a curriculum is of special value in Train- 
ing Schools in order that the student teacher 
may learn to handle life-wholes, (page 180) 
(&) Such a curriculum is a valuable means of pro- 
fessionalizing subject matter by furnishing 
a hub, as it were, from which the so-called 
academic subjects of the Normal School 
curriculum may radiate. (page 181) 



138 THE PROJECT AS QHGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 
EVALUATIONS 

Thesis i. Since play is essential for the maximal develop- 
ment of the child, this fact should he definitely 
recognized in the organization of a curriculum. 

Few would willingly deprive children of play. In the 
opinion of the great majority of grown-ups, some play 
is a necessity for every child; rarely, if ever, is it denied 
that " All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." 
But rarely, too, is it thought that play has any important 
place in school; least of all, that it may be the main- 
spring of school work. Some parents, moreover, seem to 
feel that a good fairy, if not a guardian angel, hovers over 
children at play so that they need no human supervision 
to prevent injury to body, mind, or spirit. Others reason 
that there is no occasion to worry about how children play, 
for any bad habits they may acquire while playing will 
soon be overcome by abundance of good, wholesome, 
steady work in school. That schools are places where 
children work, that play is justified only outside of school 
hours, except for very limited periods and on very special 
occasions, are hoary traditions whose force is still bind- 
ing in most places. But Dewey's position here is unmis- 
takable. The italics in the following quotation are 
the writer's : 

" Experience has shown that when children have a 
chance at physical activities which bring their natural 
impulses into play, going to school is a joy, management 
is less of a burden, and learning is easier. Sometimes, 
perhaps, plays, games, and constructive occupations are 
resorted to only for these reasons, with emphasis upon re- 
lief from tedium and strain of * regular ' school work. 
There is no reason, however, for using them merely as 
agreeable diversions. Study of mental life has made evi- 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 139 

dent the fundamental worth of native tendencies to ex- 
plore, to manipulate tools and materials, to construct, to 
give expression to joyous emotion. When exercises 
which are prompted by these instincts are a part of the 
regular school program, the whole pupil is engaged, the 
artificial gap between life in school and out is reduced, 
motives are afforded for attention to a large variety of 
materials and processes distinctly educative in effect, and 
cooperative associations which give information a social 
setting are provided. In shorty the grounds for assigning to 
play and active work a definite place in the curriculum are 
intellectual and social, not matters of temporary expediency 
and momentary agreeahleness. Without something of the 
kind it is not possible to secure the normal estate of effective 
learning; namely, that knowledge-getting be an outgrowth of 
activities having their own end, instead of a school task. 
More specifically, play and work correspond, point for 
point, with the traits of the initial stage of knowing, which 
consists ... in learning how to do things and in acquaint- 
ance with things and processes gained in the doing." ^ 

One great reason for the usual attitude toward play 
has been a misunderstanding of its cause or origin and its 
true significance; another, a confusion as to the types of 
action that are included under the term " play activities " ; 
still another, the fact that play environments may differ 
so greatly. Furthermore, most psychologists are mislead- 
ing in that they include play in the list of instincts, treat- 
ing it as a form of activity apart from the manifestations 
of any of the other instincts. But Thomdike says : 

" Man has not two original natures — one matter of 
fact, the other playful — from one to the other of which he 
shifts by inner magic. The majority of the original tend- 
encies from which human play develops are not peculiar to 
play, but originate serious activities as well. Such are 

^ Dewey — Democracy and Education, p. 228. 



140 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

manipulation, facial expression, vocalization, multiform 
mental activity, and multiform physical activity. The 
same original tendency, manipulation, is the root of mak- 
ing mud pies and apple pies." ^ 

Some teachers, like some parents, still consider schools 
as prisons where children are made to do the things they 
least want to do, where they learn the things they least 
want to learn, and above all where they are " made to 
mind," where they " toe the mark." Between such a 
teacher and her children towers a wall, unsurmountable 
and impenetrable. Should any teacher, becoming con- 
vinced of the value of play, manage to climb over or break 
down this Chinese wall, she is often accused of using 
" soft pedagogy " and " sugar-coated " methods. And 
she may deserve the criticism, for the education which 
says, or at least assumes, that the child should do nothing 
that he doesn't want to do, that he must be left free to 
play or work as the mood takes him, that he may violate 
all rules of social behavior since he is merely following 
his native instincts when he pokes and shoves and breaks 
and vocalizes — such education may be worse than that 
which dictates and demands and compels. How, then, 
can the curriculum of the schools reconcile the apparently 
contradictory beliefs that children should be allowed to 
play in school and that they must be trained to good habits 
of work? In addition to the statements just quoted from 
Thorndike, there are certain others given by Appleton and 
Bobbitt which seem to point the way to a solution, or at 
least to make it impossible for the conscientious teacher to 
neglect play as a fundamental element in the planning of 
activities for children. 

" Any system of education which leaves out of account 
the ' hungers ' of the child, both physical and psychical, 

* Thorndike — Educational Psychology, Vol, i, p. 145. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 141 

leaves also out of account his whole development. The 
play-hunger is but one of many. . . . Some of these normal 
hungers are indicated in the analysis of children's play — 
hunger for exercise, for social appreciation, imitation, 
organization, sensation, rhythm, self-training, competi- 
tion, cooperation, fun, intellectual activity, companion- 
ship, and religion. . . . 

" In children between three and seven there is little 
differentiation between play and reality." ^ 

The child's nature, then* demands playful realities for 
his educational diet. Miss Appleton further says : 

" In children from seven to twelve dramatic and the 
social imitative elements are strong. At this age the end 
of play becomes more remote than in the previous group 
and there is a beginning of social organizations." * 

One may, then, at this period begin to change from the 
play-level to the work-level and may take advantage of 
the current of interest by encouraging group organizations 
and the exercise of the dramatic, social, and imitative types 
of activity. 

" Play is Nature's active mode of education. . . 

" Physical play is Nature's physical education. . . . 

" Social play is Nature's active method of social edu- 
cation. . . . 

" Mental play is Nature's active method of filling the 
mind with information." ^ 

Provision, then, must be made for these four types of 
play experiences if we would follow the path which nature 
has marked out for educating our children. 

^ Appleton, L. Estelle — A Comparative Study of the Play Activi- 
ties of Adult Savages and Civilized Children, pp. 2>^, 26. 
*Ibid., p. 27. 
" Bobbitt — The Curriculum, pp. 8, 9. 



142 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

" Seen biologically, children's play was — and is — the 
most serious function of childhood. It was then — and 
to-day should be — the largest factor in the child's educa- 
tion. . . . The artificial conditions of modern life will 
make a large amount of conscious guidance necessary." ^ 

Since the driving power of the play tendency is so 
strong, parents and teachers must not leave the direction 
of this tendency to chance. Indeed, it is the chief business 
of education to use this electric current economically, turn- 
ing it into channels of usefulness and beauty that it may 
yield products of social and artistic value. 

If these arguments concerning the worth of play in 
the education of a child be valid, then the corollaries of 
the first thesis must be true : 

"(a) Forced activities, ^ther intellectual or motor, 
are not educative in the f idlest sense and often result 
in fatigue." 

Forced activity spells drudgery for the adult and even 
more so for the child, to whom the ultimate benefit cannot 
make the same appeal. The play-hunger lives on in the 
individual in spite of imposed tasks, and if no legitimate 
avenue is provided for its satisfaction it will find food, 
good or bad, somewhere, somehow, as surely as water 
runs downhill. Consequently, in school situations where 
play is denied adequate expression, education becomes 
negative in the sense of impelling children to be disin- 
genuous, underhanded — to form bad " habits of mind." 
Such facts as they learn, probably only for the time being, 
they acquire because the teacher pushes them along that 
line of greatest resistance whose name is drudgery. But 
attitudes and mind-habits they learn, probably for all 
time, because nature leads them along that line of least 
resistance whose name is play. 

*Bobbitt — The Curriculum, pp. 217, 221. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 143 

''(b) Play eliminates the necessity for forced effort, 
making school work truly educative for teacher as well 
as child." 

Play, by breaking down that Chinese wall of mis- 
understanding', would mean not only the removal of much 
friction but the development of sympathy, a prerequisite 
for any wholesome school life. Moreover, ii play is a 
primary factor in building up the curriculum, the children 
will, in a sense, unconsciously point out the way. The 
resulting benefits to the children have already, perhaps, 
been sufficiently shown ; those to the teacher will be more 
fully considered under Thesis 8. 

"(c) Th^ spontaneous play of childhood frequently 
imitates the activities of adidt life." 

One has but to watch children at play to discover that 
whenever they are not engaged in " set " games they are 
usually dramatizing adult experiences. And the pathos 
of the situation is that they mimic the bad perhaps more 
frequently than the good. Yet since they are only playing, 
we think they may " touch pitch and yet not be defiled." 

Quite recently the following scene was witnessed. 
A little girl with her doll was " playing school." The doll 
was the erring pupil, the little girl the teacher. The doll 
was seized violently and stood up in a corner of the door- 
way, face to the wall. The passer-by caught this sen- 
tence, severely pronounced, " There, now, for not know- 
ing your lesson, you may stand in that comer all day ! " 
This child of seven, perhaps a future teacher of children, 
was building into her subconsciousness standards for her 
life work! 

Little girls who do not " play school " out of school 
hours almost always " play house." How often do the 
busy little mothers stop their cooking, their sewing, their 
care of the baby, to scold or to whip the older children! 

How hard children will joyfully work in constructive 



144 THE PEOJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

imitation of adult activities was beautifully illustrated by 
a boy about eight years old whom the writer watched 
from her fifth-floor window. After running his roller 
coaster up and down the sidewalk aimlessly for a while, 
he suddenly dismounted and drew a chalk line from the 
park fence to the curb — a destination! Then he drew 
a straight track, perhaps ten yards long, leading up to this 
line, showing ties as well as rails. After running his 
coaster up and down this track several times, he drew 
a second length, starting it parallel with the first at the 
straight line, putting in several curves, and laboring long 
where it crossed the straight track, erasing and redrawing 
repeatedly to make the crossing look as he thought it 
should. Then he rode several times over each track, but 
seemed much troubled when it came to getting from one 
to the other. After trying several ways of manipulating 
his coaster to accomplish this, he finally laid it aside and 
drew a semicircular connecting track, carefully adding a 
" third rail " to the whole. Trying this and finding the 
curve too sharp to permit him to get around it smoothly, 
he erased it and sketched in a wider sweep. After riding 
in triimiph from one end to the other several times, he 
went off — ^probably in quest of more worlds to conquer— 
having spent half an hour in planning and building his 
track and two minutes in riding over it when all the 
difficulties had been mastered. 

A fine example of the playing out of group experi- 
ences was seen during the recent war. A party of boys, 
of all sizes and all ages, congregated on an open lot and 
organized a miniature battlefield, caring for the wounded 
after the fighting was over. Some very minute details 
of the situation were carried out ; for instance, the doctor 
searched his pockets for paper and pencil to record the last 
words of a dying soldier, whose sympathetic comrades 
had pillowed his head qu a big stone. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 145 

The Red Cross activities of the girls at play during 
this period also illustrate the point that children are often 
more interested in playing out real organized social ex- 
periences than in either the hit-or-miss type of free play 
which so often leads into fooling, teasing, and bullying, 
or in the set plays or games inherited from dim antiquity. 
All that is needed to start this higher type of play which 
involves imaginative planning and careful manipulation 
of material, is the spark of suggestion or encouragement, 
be it in the form of a war, an exceptional teacher, or the 
school curriculum. The first, let us be thankful, is over ; 
the second cannot be counted on ; but the third is always 
with us. 

It seems nothing short of absurd for us to close our 
eyes to these suggestions for children's growth and de- 
velopment, which they themselves are constantly giving 
us. Long, long ago teachers and parents said, " Educate 
for the future." We now say, " Educate for the future, 
but do not let the children know that you are doing it." 
But the child himself, in his very play, looks to that future 
life. He plays " being grown-up " even before he can 
walk steadily. Why not cater to this interest, and help 
him' through play to duplicate these social situations in a 
very simple, childish way, seizing the countless incidental 
opportunities to develop good habits, attitudes, apprecia- 
tions, skills, and at the same time and under the same 
motive power teaching him to read, to write, and 
to cipher ? 

In reading the exhaustive studies which have been 
made of the play of primitive peoples, it certainly is of 
great significance to education to find them agreeing that 
" all savage play had its genesis in actual experience," as 
Miss Appleton puts it. 

Professor Bobbitt says that children and youth, im- 
pelled by curiosity and the play motive, should wander 
10 



146 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

through every important field of human knowledge and 
human experience. Now let us consider how the curricu- 
lum can make this wandering possible and at the same time 
make sure of the " minimal essentials," if the arguments 
given above convince us that we have here the first 
step in the development of a scientific technic for curricu- 
lum making. 

" Thesis 2. Life necessities and comforts are suf- 
ficently significant to be made the basis for a curriculum^/' 

" All little children have certain common needs." '^ 
Dewey says that the material making up the curriculum 
must be " translated into life terms,"^ and again that " a 
curriculum which acknowledges the social responsibilities 
of education must present situations where problems are 
relevant to the problems of living together, and where 
observation and information are calculated to develop 
social insight and interest." ^ Bobbitt's statement, while 
more general, is just as strong. " The program . . . will 
be as wide as life itself." ^° And Bonser gives the specific 
principle, " The curriculum of the school should represent 
the needs and interests of present-day life in our own im- 
mediate environment and the world at large." ^ ^ 

What, then, are these " common needs," these " life 
terms " into which subject matter must be translated, this 
" program " which must be " as wide as life itself," these 
" needs and interests of piresent-day life in our own 
environment and the world at large " ? 

There seems to be but one answer to this question — 
those necessities and comforts common to the life and 
well-being of eve7'y living individual, whether young or 

" Flexner — A Modern School, p. 7. 

* Dewey — The Child and the Curriculum, p. 31. 

* Dewey — Democracy and Education, p. 226. 
^^ Bobbitt — The Curricuhim, p. 43. 

" Bonser — The Speyer School Curriculum, p. i. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 147 

old, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, dweller in sunny climes 
or in frigid regions. These may be listed under the main 
heads of physical needs — food, shelter, and clothing — and 
social needs — work and play. 

For the purpose of illustration let us think of the 
curriculum as the educational recipe whose function it is 
to interpret the environment — to make it real, somewhat 
as cookery recipes enable us to make real the dishes which 
they describe. True it is that one may cook without 
recipes. So is it true that one may teach without a for- 
mulated curriculum. But as in such random cooking there 
is great danger of too much saltness or too much sweetness, 
of tough waffles or " sad " cakes, so in teaching without a 
curriculum which defines and limits possibilities, there is 
grave danger of too much reading-ness, too much nature- 
study-ness, or perhaps even too much play-ness. 

The well-balanced curriculum, then, will select and 
mix judiciously those facts from the environment which 
are the basic ingredients of the educational recipe. These 
will be certain rather definite bodies of knowledge con- 
cerning food, clothing, and shelter which are absolutely 
essential tO' make every individual, first of all, an intelli- 
gent consumer. In the days gone by, when homes instead 
of factories were the source of supplies, when the hands 
of production were human instead of automatic machines 
— when the wool in the girl's dress was sheared, carded, 
spun, and woven on her father's farm, when the boy 
saw the making of his shoes from start to finish — then the 
educational issue was different, for the economic issue 
was very unlike that of the present. Then the materials 
of education might well be chosen along less practical 
lines, and more direct methods might be employed to give 
the individual the so-called cultural subjects. 

The economic struggle of to-day forces a shifting 



148 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

of emphasis to the more material things of life. The 
issues of society must inevitably become the issues of the 
school if school is to be a place in which to live, not merely 
to study. The school curriculum, therefore, must open 
up to the child the mysteries of the tremendously com- 
plex industrial world — the gigantic product of modern 
civilization. The child must know the facts of production, 
in order to live decently. He must also know these facts 
in order either to join the ranks of the producers to their 
and his own best advantage or to do justice to the pro- 
ducers in other fields than his own. 

Will it satisfy our educational recipe, then, to have 
John and Mary able to trace their lump of sugar back to 
its home in the cane or the beet? This ability is of less 
importance, perhaps, than an understanding of the reason 
why before the war we paid six cents per pound for the 
same product which now costs thirty cents. The story 
of the difference between six cents and thirty cents in this 
case will be a carefully worked out problem, rich in the 
elements which intelligent teaching of these facts of life 
must always carry with it — appreciations, attitudes, sym- 
pathies — and functioning in action of a wholesome con- 
structive type. With such material forming the bulk of 
the curriculum, children will pass into adult life better 
consumers, better voters, better producers, whether by 
their labor or by their capital. 

"(a) Human relationships in family , local community, 
country, and finally the world, supply the subject matter 
for such a curriculum." 

The next question which will probably be asked is, 
" How shall we choose from this tremendous mass of 
possibilities the subject matter for each grade?" What 
large social units shall be selected as the touchstones? 
How can we manage not to " eddy round and round " 
as William T. Harris has said, " and never come to 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 149 

any consistent system or reach any practical success? " ^^ 
Dewey has said that modern civilization is too com- 
plex to be assimilated in to to by the child It must be 
broken up and administered piecemeal, as it were, in a 
gradual and graded way. He therefore believes that the 
first duty of the social organ which we call the school is 
to furnish a simplified environment, by selecting such 
features as are fairly fundamental and capable of serving 
as stimuli for the young. Our question, then, becomes, 
" How can the social environment be dissected for the 
child in such a way as to provide for a gradual unfolding 
of the whole, without unnecessary overlapping or dupli- 
cation? " There would seem to be no doubt as to the 
proper starting point, however we may differ in opinion 
as to the order of the later steps. For the most familiar, 
the closest, environment of the child is the home. Few 
indeed are the children to whom home is not the imme- 
diate soiirce of all things, and fewer still are those who 
have absolutely no home. 

Ask the five- or six-year-old who gives him food, 
clothing, home, and he will answer, " Father and mother." 
To him the home supplies all needs. True it is that he 
has had some acquaintance with the store as a source 
of supply; but up to the time he goes to school his store 
experiences have been few, his home experiences mani- 
fold. In answer to the question, " Why further empha- 
size the situations which are already familiar, instead 
of beginning at once to broaden the child's experience ? " 
the following quotation is most pertinent : 

" The school . . . selects the features (of the en- 
vironment) which are fairly fundamental and capable of 
being responded to by the young. Then it establishes a pro- 
gressive order, using the factors first acquired as means of 
gaining insight into what is more complicated." 

"Harris, W. T.—What Shall We Study? p. i. 



150 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

This, then, is the first reason. Further : 

" It is the business of the school environment ... to 
establish a purified medium of action. ... By selecting the 
best for its exclusive use, it strives to reinforce the power 
of this best. ... 

" In the third place, it is the office of the school en- 
vironment to balance the various elements in the social 
environment, and to see to it that each individual gets an 
opportunity to escape from the limitations of the social 
group in which he was bom, and to come into living con- 
tact with a broader environment." ^^ 

This third reason seems most vital. When one real- 
izes the variety of homes which the children of our 
public schools represent, when one realizes the low stand- 
ards of living which obtain in many of these homes, one 
is impelled to plead that through the school some uplift 
may come into the home, in order that the immediate 
environment of many children out of school hours may 
be purged of unwholesome, even immoral, influences. 
Moreover, the home environment of rich children is, in 
its way, as narrow as that of the poor, and a broadening 
of it in school might benefit parents as well as pupils. 

Even the six-year-old may help in this work of im- 
proving the home. Living through home experiences in 
school, the child will establish habits, some of which, at 
least, will carry over into the home. In this way he 
may to some extent " escape the limitations of the social 
group in which he was born" and at the same time 
improve, in a small way, the environment of the 
group itself. 

To quote Dewey again : 

" The business of the educator — whether parent or 
teacher — is to see to it that the greatest number of ideas 

"Dewey — Democracy and Education, p. 24. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 151 

acquired by children and youth are acquired in such a 
vital way that they become moving ideas, motive forces in 
the guidance of conduct." 

" The school cannot be a preparation for social life ex- 
cepting as it reproduces within itself typical conditions of 
social life. At present it is largely engaged in the futile 
task of Sisyphus. It is endeavoring to form habits in 
children for use in a social life which, it would almost 
seem, is carefully and purposely kept away from vital con- 
tact with the child undergoing training." ^* 

The writer then has made the break as gentle as pos- 
sible for the first grade — that grade which initiates the 
child into the mysteries of life away from home — by 
creating a home or family environment for him in school. 

For the child in the second grade, the store has be- 
come a vital factor in life. By this time he has had a 
number of experiences in actual buying. He " goes to 
the store " for mother and for neighbor. Perhaps after 
school he delivers goods for the corner grocer or helps 
in his own father's store. Up to this time the child has 
been interested in money primarily because it buys him 
candy and toys, but the seven- or eight-year-old boy 
begins to take pride in saving for his own suits or shoes 
such money as he receives. He is allowed to express 
some choice in the buying of his clothes. He is entrusted 
with money when he goes to the store for provisions and is 
allowed to bring back the change. He carries the list 
in his head rather than on the paper, which in the case of 
the five- or six-year-old buyer encloses the exact amount 
of money for the purchase. In a word, the seven- or 
eight-year-old child takes a step out into the world as a 
youthful consumer. The curriculum should seize the 
opportunity of this new interest in the source of materials 
outside of the home ; therefore the store has been chosen 

" Dewey — Moral Principles in Education, pp. 2, 14. 



152 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

to organize the life of the second grade. The psychology 
of the situation, the immaturity of the child's mind, must 
determine the scope of the work. How this may be done 
the detailed account of the plan in Section I has shown. 

By the time the child lives through the numerous 
experiences of planning, building, and stocking the sec- 
ond grade's store and carrying on the various phases of 
the business, he arrives at an age when he appreciates 
broader human relationships. He becomes less self -cen- 
tered. Parents allow him more freedom outside of his 
home. He makes friends with the milkman, the street 
cleaner, the traffic " cop." He haunts the fire engine 
house. He watches the repair work along the street. 
He takes a keen interest in the new building going up 
in the neighborhood. He steals away to the factory tO' see 
the machinery. He spends his last nickel for the top gal- 
lery at the movies. Church or Sunday school means his 
good clothes, new companions, music, and stories. Fur- 
ther, it may give him facts, or ideals concerning that 
unseen religious life which he may be beginning to sense 
and respect; if he is of a different type, it may stand for 
nothing more than an occasional picnic, or the candy and 
oranges of the Christmas festival. 

All these interests taken together spell city or village 
life for the child of this age, the eight- or nine-year-old, 
and the curriculum can make sympathetic provision for 
these interests in the way outlined in Section I for the 
third grade. 

Up to this point, the organization of school life here 
described has actually been tested out by the author — in 
the third grade for two successive years, in the first and 
second for one year. Her scheme, however, includes the 
curriculum up to the junior high school. 

After experiencing the various activities of these first 
three years in school, the child cannot help but realize 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 153 

that the world is wider than his home city or the nearest 
village. In his playing out of home, store, and com- 
munity life, he has met the teas and silks of Japan and 
China, the coffee of Brazil, the gold of Alaska, the dia- 
monds, ivory, and ostrich plumes of Africa, the toys of 
Germany, the cheese and cocoa of Holland, the knives and 
scissors of England, gowns and hats from Paris. He has 
gradually wakened to the fact that he and his fellow- 
citizens, both children and adults, live not unto them- 
selves alone. With this consciousness should come the 
child's definite introduction to the other peoples who con- 
tribute largely to his existence, his health, and his happi- 
ness. So the fourth year of the child's school life may 
well be spent playing " a year's trip around the world," 
working and playing with foreign peoples. This grade 
will give him a speaking acquaintance, as it were, with, 
some of the past as well as the present inhabitants of the 
countries visited, thus continuing the work in history 
begun in second and third grade. 

During his year's journey around the world the child 
will have made frequent comparisons between conditions 
abroad and in his own land, and many questions will 
have been raised about regions of this country which he 
has never visited. So the fifth year may well be spent in 
" seeing America." This would be an excellent place to 
try out the educational films which are now in course of 
preparation, since the fifth-grade child reads rapidly 
enough to take in the legend before the picture appears. 
To vary the monotony and to give more opportunity for 
motor activities, the places, processes, or events for which 
films are not available may be worked out by the children 
as living movies or moving tableaus, sO' that we may call 
this year's play-work, " Seeing America through mov- 
ing pictures." 

The sixth grade finds the child ready to penetrate 



154 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

more deeply into the lives of other nations as well as into 
those of his nearer neighbors, so world relations are 
emphasized in playing " a world's fair." This year's 
work will then be a summary of all that has gone before, 
with interpolations and the addition of many details. So 
the individual passes from this grade, having gained not 
only the fundamentals in tool subjects, but a foundation of 
life-experiences, so to speak. It is the writer's belief that he 
is better prepared to take the next step toward intelligent 
and worthy participation in adult life than if he had spent 
these six years in the conventional public school. 

"(b) In any locality the details of these relationships, 
wisely chosen and articulated, will organise the life of 
the school." 

That the basic relationships just outlined as organiz- 
ing the work of each grade will lead the child out into 
larger and larger horizons, the school being an integral 
sector of the perfect circle, life, may be roughly repre- 
sented by the diagram facing this page. 

The details of subject matter to fill each year's arc 
of this sector must now be considered. It is here that 
opportunity is afiforded for originality and initiative on 
the part of both teacher and children. It is here that local 
coloring and most effective motivation may be given to 
the work. The fine art of the individual teacher will 
lie in using the suggested curriculum in any locality in 
such a way as to make sure ( i ) that the so-called " mini- 
mal essentials" are taken care of; (2) that the facts 
which each individual must know concerning his life in 
a social group, and which are comprised in what might 
be called the five F's — food, fabrics, firesides, friends, 
fun — are provided for; (3) that the desirable habits, atti- 
tudes, appreciations, ideals, shall be attained through the 
only media whereby they can be maximally developed, i.e., 
organized relationships in school which duplicate relation- 



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THE SCHOOL AS A SECTOR OF LIFE 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 156 

ships outside of school. To attain these ends, the activi- 
ties of each locaHty — whether city, village, or country — 
and the facts of existing relationships should determine 
the details of subject matter. 

"(c) A study of the origin, production, and processes 
of manufacture of the child's life necessities and com- 
forts will not only develop a sympathetic appreciation of 
the inter-relations of society, not only lead to a wise selec- 
tion and use of the articles thetnselves, but will also afford 
a better medium for the teaching of the three R's and the 
other traditional subject matter than is found in the con- 
ventional school/' 

Why do you and I need to read and write? Why do 
we need to know some of the facts taught to us as arith- 
metic? Why study geography? Do we use these skills 
and knowledges for the purposes for which the studies 
were placed in the curriculum by the school of thinkers 
that advocated culture as the first aim of education? 
Listen to one of these : 

" Arithmetic opens a window of the soul directed out- 
ward upon the inorganic phase of the world. It notes the 
abstract relation of all existence to mere time and space." 

And of geography the same writer says : 

" He learns a new vocabulary in studying geography ; 
a long list of technical terms is necessary to describe the 
essential matters of man's environment. Geography 
undertakes to show the relation of each place to all others. 
After he has acquired some knowledge of this branch, the 
pupil is equipped for understanding the language and in- 
terpreting the ideas of all printed information regard- 
ing geography." ^^ 

Education based on such objectives is open to criti- 

" Harris — IVhat Shall the Public Schools Teach f in The Forum, 
Vol. iv, 1887-88, pp. 575, 577. 



156 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

cism, first, because they consist of the stuff that dreams 
are made of, for the human mind would have to be en- 
tirely remade, would have to become a sort of superhuman 
mind, in order to jump from the few particular scraps of 
mathematics taught in schools to a conception of " the 
abstract relation of all existence to mere time and space." 
Second, the aims of this education have been too individ- 
ualistic. Self-culture has been worshipped. It is about 
time that the emphasis swings over to group culture. 
Dean Russell most aptly pointed out in a recent lecture 
that up to to-day American education Ifas considered only 
the individual development, not the problem of making 
the individual a member of a group, fitted to fulfill all the 
demands for living together that this group requires. 
He gave as a reason for a decided shifting of emphasis 
from education for individual ends to education for citi- 
zenship the fact that up to very recently there has been 
room in America for people to live and develop more or 
less unto themselves, but with the increase of population 
to the point of congestion in many places and the resultant 
difficulty in meeting the demands of life, the rights of the 
individual must yield to those of the group. 

This means that what we teach in schools must be 
taught in its social setting. Moreover, common-sense 
psychology decides that, as far as possible, things shall 
be taught in the way they are to be used. Arithmetic 
and geography, as well as reading, writing, and history, 
are to be used, mainly and broadly speaking, for life's 
needs and life's satisfactions. Then let us introduce 
them into our curriculum at the time when the group 
life of the school calls for them, and in the form needed 
to satisfy the " felt need " of that time. Only in this 
way can the school be made to yield those most intangible 
yet most valuable products of education — social attitudes, 
appreciations, service. 



THESES UNDEKLYING THIS CURRICULUM 157 

" Thesis j. These ends can best be attained by the 
child's playing out the experiences of the family, the 
community, and the world." 

Granting that Theses i and 2 have been estabHshed, 
Thesis 3 needs but sHght explanation or defense, being 
nothing more than a statement that i plus 2 equals 3. 

The history of education in the past proves that chil- 
dren can be made to learn with more or less success — the 
law of exercise putting the lid on the heterogeneous mass 
of subject matter poured into their minds. But such 
a mass cannot be assimilated in a wholesome way unless 
the laws of readiness and effect be used before the lid is 
put on. Indeed, unless these laws are allowed to act, 
digestion is replaced by either refrigeration or fermenta- 
tion. Now, modern psychology has proved that 

" Man's learning is fundamentally the action of the 
laws of readiness, exercise, and effect. He is first of all 
an associative mechanism working to avoid what disturbs 
the life-processes of certain neurones." ^'^ 

The child's play neurones, or more specifically, those 
neurones which have to do with " manipulation, facial 
expression, vocalization, multiform mental activity, and 
multiform physical activity," which easily develop play, 
are asserted by Thorndike to be ever ready to act. Since 
these basic instincts work out in serious occupations as 
well as in play activities ; since in children's play they take 
the form of family, community, and even world experi- 
ences, as the illustrations pireviously given indicate; and 
since a dominant note of group relationships, or citizen- 
ship, or even world-ship, is now beginning to sound in 
school, as well as in extra-school, life — the question, 
" How can the curriculum provide for these conditions? " 
seems to be answered in Thesis 3. 

" Thorndike — Educational Psychology, Vol. ii, p. 23. 



158 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

The corollaries of this thesis cover the division of 
this group life into grades, which has already been dis- 
cussed in a general way under the first corollary of 
Thesis 2 and more specifically for Grades I, II, and III, 
in Section I. Just a few words here, however, concerning 
the reasons for this division of the curriculum into grades:. 

The idea of duplicating family life in the early school 
years of the child is not new, by any means. It took 
very definite form in Pestalozzi's mind; indeed, this is 
considered by Dewey to be his great positive contribution 
to education. After quoting Pestalozzi's 

" Nature educates men for social relations and by 
means of social relations. Things are important in the 
education of man in proportion to the intimacies of 
social relations." 

Dewey goes on to say : 

" For this reason family life is the center of education 
and in a way furnishes the model for every educational 
institution. In family life, physical objects, tables, chairs, 
the trees in the orchard, the stones of the fence, have a 
social meaning. They are the things which people use 
together, and which influence their common actions." " 

Pestalozzi put this idea into practice in his Poor School 
at Neuhof and again in his work at Stanz. But later 
his teaching sank from the level of active pursuits involv- 
ing the use of these objects to mere contact with the 
objects themselves, i.e., formal object lessons. 

In many schools of to-day dolls have been dressed, 
and the children have been engaged in family activities, 
such as sweeping, dusting, some cooking, dishwashing, 
and tea parties; but this was family life " f ractionized " 
and disjointed, so that the main emphasis was not on the 

" Dewey, J. and E. — Schools of Tomorrow, p. 62. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS OIRRICmr.lTM 159 

group idea. Moreover, the group im^olved was the 
unnaturally large " family " group of forty or more, or 
else the too simple group of mother and baby. In the 
writer's experiment, in order to imitate a more typical 
family and at the same time to secure cooperation among 
different family groups (as in a neighborhood) in addi- 
tion to cooperation in the narrower circle of one home, 
the children were organized into families of five or six 
members. Group competition became a large and valu- 
able factor in the school life. The activities of the groups 
duplicated, as nearly as possible, the life of the family, 
for, as Dewey has said, the school cannot prepare for 
social life excepting as it reproduces within itself typical 
conditions of social life. (See page 151.) 

Out of the interest of the second-grade child in making 
and selling mud pies; out of his interest in selling papers; 
out of his developing interest in handling money; out of 
the first-grade families' demand for supplies of all sorts ; 
out of the need of the third-grade city or village for a 
good department store, or for unit stores, or perhaps a 
" general " store; out of the child's instinctive interest in 
making and handling a variety of things; out of the 
psychological demand that abundant stimuli be provided 
for the formation of useful bonds; out of the sociological 
demand that children be initiated very early into the in- 
dustrial world that they may become better producers 
and consumers; out of all these grows the appropriate- 
ness of the duplication of, store activities by children of 
second-grade age. It would seem, then, that playing 
store may form the basis of a curriculum rich in values 
for any second grade. 

True it is that children have frequently " played 
store" in the ordinary school, but the experience has 
usually been merely an oasis in the desert of " regular 
work " — 2. device employed occasionally, generally in the 



160 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

teaching' of arithmetic. This situation naturally could 
not be entered into in the whole-hearted way that resulted 
when a store grew out of the needs felt by the first-grade 
families, and when the second grade supplied this demand 
not by f ractionized store experiences but by the gradual 
building up of a total store situation. The second grade 
really becomes a play store, whose business constantly 
enlarges, underlying and suggesting, day by day, the need, 
as well as the particular form, of the so-called " regular " 
work, and functioning also as an element of the third 
grade's play city. 

As to the third grade, it is also true that " home 
geography " has held a legitimate place in the curriculimi 
for many years; but for the most part it has been book 
geography, or a geography of facts told to children rather 
than developed out of their actual, -concrete participation 
and experience. In the comparatively few schools where 
such concrete participation occurred, it was usually merely 
a" part — and a very small part — of the school life, rather 
than the whole, or at least the foundation or skeleton 
of the whole. 

In this new scheme of organizing the curriculum, 
because of the interests of children of third-grade age, 
some of which were mentioned under Thesis 2 and be- 
cause of the many-sided dependence of the store-keepers 
of second grade, as well as the families of first grade, 
on a city or village, the playing out of this experience 
may take the very concrete form of building on the floor 
a play city of real earth; real, children-made bricks; real 
streets. The life of the grade becomes life in this city, 
and this life determines the time and the form of pre- 
senting the subject matter — subject matter of vital signifi- 
cance, limited yet comprehensive, educative yet satisfying, 
making the " minimal essentials " as tempting to children 
as candy, yet giving them far more than they ever get out 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS OUKRIOULUM 161 

of the teaching of the minimai essentials for their 
own sake. 

One of the chief values in such an organization as 
that here outlined for the first three grades is found in the 
frequent and necessary instances of inter-grade depend- 
ence and cooperation. What better opportunity could 
the schools have for laying the foundations of true democ- 
racy and developing the leadership vital to the success 
of democracy? 

The reasons why " the play way " in the next three 
grades should take the form of still more inclusive units 
of social activities and life experiences must now be 
apparent, but the scope of this experiment does not call 
for further justification here of the playing out of "a 
trip around the world " in the fourth grade, of " seeing 
America in moving pictures " in the fifth, and of "a 
world's fair " in the sixth, as a detailed summary of the 
whole. May some one soon be found to try them out 
in actual schoolrooms! 

Throughout the whole development of the work as 
just outlined and in the detailed description of activities 
given in Section I, it will be noticed that the doing side 
constantly leads, and provides the motive for the more 
abstract phases of the school life. In this doing, work- 
levels frequently become apparent. One has only to 
remember his own childish experiences or some of his 
observations of children at play, to realize that purposive 
play often involves much hard work. This work may be 
physical and will probably prove sufficiently varied to 
exercise all the muscles as thoroughly as could the most 
elaborate and expensive gymnasium apparatus, with the 
advantage over this apparatus of such interest as the 
gymnasium instructor finds it hard to arouse. True, if 
the full physical advantage is to be secured, the teacher 
must have this end in mind, and must see that bad habits 
11 



162 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

of posture and movement are not acquired and that the 
activities do not run too long to the development of any- 
one set of muscles. But much of the work that grows 
out of this doing is genuine mental work. 

" Thesis 4. Such playing out of life institutions in 
school will organize the subject matter of language, 
arithmetic, geography, history, physical education, indus- 
trial and fine arts (including music), in such a way as to 
establish maximal as well as minimal essentials of 
the curriculum." 

The effort to determine minimal essentials has been 
a long, hard striving for an indefinite, intangible some- 
thing, which may be described as the least of each subject 
which teachers must teach in order to turn out products 
that will " do." The question, then, for the teacher has 
resolved itself into this : " How little may I teach in each 
of the branches making up a curriculum in order that the 
children who are taught may become fairly able to cope 
with such ordinary problems of life as tradition has long 
held that the schools should prepare for? " Might it 
not be more to the point to hold before the teacher the 
ideal of reaching toward maximal essentials? If these 
could be established, they would in a way presuppose the 
minimal essentials. 

To be more explicit, we have been emphasizing mini- 
mal essentials and organizing work around them, expect- 
ing through a curriculum so organized to " socialize the 
child," to " teach citizenship," etc. The multiplication 
tables in each subject, e.g., map study, in geography; the 
Constitution of the United States, in history ; the rule for 
the use of quotation marks, in English ; ' ae four funda- 
mental operations, in arithmetic — ^have been made the 
hooks upon which to hang the other things wliich the 
teacher has happened to teach. These last have been 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 163 

considered the incidentals, the so-called " beta objec- 
tives," the fringes of the garment of learning, so to speak. 
These fringes or trimmings have included such things as 
" hand work " or industrial art, nature study, literature, 
sometimes even history, while the " alpha objectives," or 
the minimal essentials, usually occupy the most prominent 
places in curricula. The importance of subject matter 
and method are defined in terms of these alpha objectives ; 
results are measured in terms of these. It is a very logical 
procedure, of course, to test and measure the tangible 
outcomes of activities, especially since measuring sticks 
for many of the more intangible values have not as yet 
been provided, though some of these are in the making. 
Till these are satisfactorily worked out it will be difficult 
to swing the emphasis in curriculum making from the 
formal minimal essentials to the less easily measured, 
more inclusive, maximal essentials. 

Shall w^e use the tests in addition, multiplication, deci- 
mal fractions, rapid mental calculations? Yes, so far as 
their form fits the life the children are leading. Shall 
we spell the hundred " demons," the thousand most fre- 
quently used words of the Ayres test, the hundred selected 
words of the Buckingham test? Yes, so' far as they are 
of general applicability. But as soon as the curriculum 
centers around living issues — the issues of the five F's — 
the vocabulary as well as the occupations of the school 
changes to a considerable degree, and tests must be 
molded around the natural interests and needs of group 
life rather than the artificial, disconnected, imposed inter- 
ests of the isolated child. The minimal essentials will 
then be included within the maximal essentials — ^the 
knowledges ai I skills necessary for procuring the five 
F's, along with the developing appreciations, attitudes or 
" sets," habits, and ideals, of democracy, upon which 
these knowledges and skills are built. 



164 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

The question, then, becomes not " What are the mini- 
mal essentials, or better, the maximal essentials?" but 
" Are these considered in terms of definite life responses 
to definite life situations? " The curriculum organization 
outlined in the present theses seems to provide such a con- 
crete tying up, for each grade-unit is a definite common 
life experience. Moreover, since this organization or 
curriculimi duplicates life experiences, the details of lan- 
guage, arithmetic, history, geography, physical education, 
industrial and fine arts, and music, as representing these 
phases of living together, will be determined and arranged 
in a natural, i.e., a psychological way. Certain lines of 
development, certain knowledges and skills, will be taught 
not because they are minimal essentials, or because the 
tests call for them, or because they are traditional, but 
because they are sine qua nons in the aspect of life which 
is being played out in each grade and, by the same token, 
will be needed in adult life. Thus the unifying project 
for each grade will itself fix the maximal essentials 
through its own needs. Section IV gives a list of these 
as they developed in the trying out of this scheme. 

" Thesis 5. A curriculum thus formed zmll insure 
unforced motivation, thus relieving the pressure! of 
method." 

The quotation from Dewey wliich forms the chief 
corner-stone, nay, lays the complete foundation, for my 
first thesis (page 138) culminates in the idea that effective 
learning reaches its normal estate only when knowledge- 
getting is an outgrowth of activities having their own 
end instead of being merely a school task. 

Put a book into a child's hand and tell him to read; 
it is a task. Put a pencil between his fingers, saying, 
" Write " ; it is a task. Give him a geography textbook 
and ask him to learn all he can find about lumbering in 
the United States ; it is a task. Assign the next chapter 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 165 

in the history textbook; it is a task, no matter how short 
or how interesting the chapter. Tell him to take the next 
" case " in percentage ; it is a task. Give him the com- 
mand: " Rise; face forward, hands extended; * Up, two, 
three ; down, two, three ; ' " it is a task. Tell him to write 
a composition about cotton; it is a task. 

Why are all these requests, commands, permissions, 
alike, tasks in the eyes of the child? Why does the sub- 
ject of such treatment so often hate school and begin to 
seek an excuse to " quit " as soon as the law will allow him 
to do so? Because such learning, if it be learning, lacks 
for him the element of satisfaction — the only oil which 
will keep the machinery of life running smoothly. Is 
satisfaction likely to result from the doing of imposed 
tasks, large or small, heaped upon the child in indiscrimi- 
nate masses ? He knows not whence they come or whither 
they go. If normal thinking persists in him at all, he 
may wonder why he is studying these things; but far 
be it from him to venture the question ! Should he ask, 
it might be a " task " indeed for the teacher to find an 
answer for him. She really can't well tell him that her 
only reason for asking him to study a thing is that the 
curriculum calls for that topic at this time. 

The good teacher often finds herself at her wits' end 
in attempting to follow these chopped-up curriculums. If 
she has any faith in motivation, her skill and ingenuity 
are often taxed to the utmost to find ways of introducing 
their dissected fragments of life — -to find methods or 
devices which will make the dose more palatable. We 
do find some teachers w'ho seem to have a sixth sense for 
administering the traditional curriculum. They often suc- 
ceed in providing actual motive for the doing, actual satis- 
faction in the doing, of this or that task. But in the hands 
of these skillful teachers the problems assume forms very 
different from those quoted on the preceding page. As- 



166 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

signments then become felt problems, or projects. The 
drives for solving these are immediate and strong. 
The technic of method may be psychological and hence 
highly educative. But we must still ask whether the 
process as a whole is economical, whether the drives or 
motive forces are intrinsically valuable or of only extrin- 
sic and temporary worth, being grafted upon, rather than 
bred out of, the unit of experience to which the child is 
being exposed. 

Adults, as a rule, do not have to seek extraneous 
motives for the activities in which they engage. The 
motivation of each act is usually natural and unforced. 
Owing to the complexity of the life into which the adult 
must fit himself, the drives are social as well as individual. 
Now, children — boys and girls — have their being in the 
midst of this motivated adult life. They constantly make 
both individual and social adjustments outside of school, 
adjustments just as truly motivated as those of the adult. 
Then why should the school situation be totally dififerent ? 
Why not make it so duplicate life in general that its 
natural, easy development of whole experiences may run 
parallel with the large social wholes with which children 
come into contact, more or less close, out of school? The 
motive in each of the grade-units sketched in the first 
corollary of Thesis 2 will be the felt necessity for doing 
this thing now, in this way, and for learning how to 
take the next step, and the next, and the next, in order to 
complete the whole. The method will be largely ex- 
perimental, but when pure trial and success proves too 
uneconomical, the children will profit by the knowledge 
or previous experience of others as given by the teacher, 
by books, or by any agency outside the school. The 
social inheritance must not be rejected, but it is still true 
that he that saveth his life often loseth it, while he that 
loseth his life in a good cause finds it. So it must not 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 167 

be forgotten that children should not always be prevented 
from making any mistakes. Dewey says : 

" Opportunity for making mistakes is an incidental 
requirement. Not because mistakes are ever desirable, 
but because overzeal to select material and appliances 
which forbid a chance for mistakes to occur, restricts 
initiative, reduces judgment to a minimum, and compels 
the use of methods which are so remote from the com- 
plex situations of life that the power gained is of little 
availability. It is quite true that children tend to exag- 
gerate their powers of execution and to select projects 
that are beyond them. But limitation of capacity is one 
of the things which has to be learned ; like other things it 
is learned through the experience of consequences. The 
danger that children undertaking too complex products 
will simply muddle and mess, and produce not merely 
crude results (which is a minor matter) but acquire crude 
standards (which is an important matter) is great. But 
it is the fault of the teacher if the pupil does not perceive 
in due season the inadequacy of his performances, and 
thereby receive a stimulus to attempt exercises which will 
perfect his powers. Meantime it is more important to 
keep alive a creative and constructive attitude than to 
secure an external perfection by engaging the pupil's 
action in too minute and too closely regulated pieces of 
work. Accuracy and finish of detail can be insisted upon 
in such portions of a complex work as are within the 
pupil's capacity." ^^ 

"(a) Such an organisation will bring about natural 
correlations and prevent disjointed work." 

For some years educators have pretty generally agreed 
that the work of our schools has been too much cut up 
into packages of subject matter, detached not only from 
the child's interest and from life situations, but from 

"Dewey — Democracy and Education, p. 231. 



168 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Other bodies of related material. Efforts to correct these 
evils were evidenced, first, by the wave of interest in 
correlation of studies, and later, by the introduction of 
" purposive activities " or projects. The first proved 
helpful whenever the correlations were not forced. 
Work became better organized; subjects were more 
closely knit together. Consequently some of the loose 
ends were caught up and the pigeon-holes for subject 
matter became fewer and larger. The use of the project 
as a method has effected still further improvement. Be- 
sides maintaining the practice of tying together things 
whidh belong together, it added the element of purpose 
for the tying, thus supplying aims toward which ex- 
periences could be made tO' converge, as well as giving 
direction to the activities used as means in attaining 
these ends. 

But is the full benefit of purposive activities secured 
by having two or three or even a constant succession of 
independent projects breaking into the routine of the 
old-fashioned curriculum, whose goal of covering so much 
subject matter per term in each study remains unchanged? 
And do we not incur thereby the dangers of putting a 
piece of new cloth unto an old garment, of putting new 
wine into old bottles? 

Let us put our new wine into new bottles. Let us 
make the year's work one great project, one phase or unit 
of life, out of which will grow naturally a succession of 
related projects, or several such lines, parallel or diverg- 
ing, involving group activities for group ends, but activi- 
ties in which each child will certainly find some portion 
all his own, some problem which he himself desires to 
work out. Such a curriculum can be flexible enough to 
make use of the immediate suggestions of the natural 
leaders and will be vivifying enough to elicit suggestions 
from all, long before the year is over, suggestions of 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS OUEPJOULUM 169 

minor ends, of ways, and of means. It is just as im- 
portant for the education of children that they should 
themselves organize their thinking and their materials 
in the solving of their actual problems and projects as it 
is for adults to think and plan for themselves if they 
would live and grow in their work. 

It is very easy to see that experiences in adult life 
are not disjointed. We can clearly trace the converging 
of various lines of activities toward the accomplishment 
of certain big desires. The mother, in order to take 
adequate care of her husband and children, makes a study 
of foods and cooking; she learns how to select fabrics 
for the family's clothing; she helps her husband in all 
possible ways to save money for a home; she surrounds 
the children with books, daily papers, and other means 
of culture; she makes a careful study along geographic 
and hygienic, as well as sociological and economic lines, 
to determine the best place to spend the family's summer 
vacation; she renews her acquaintance with history in 
order to teach her children, or perhaps in an effort to 
trace, for their sake, her right to membership in the 
D. A. R. Through the meetings of the local chapter of 
this society and the Women's Club, through her church 
afifiliations and her interest in her children's playmates 
and their club, through her censoring of moving pictures 
in order to determine their fitness for the eyes of her own 
children and of her Scout group, she takes her place in 
the community as a social worker. Thus her life organ- 
izes itself naturally around the aim of being the best 
wife and mother she can. The father's life would show 
a similarly unforced directing of its activities. 

Now let us look at the children's lives out of school. 
In order to make it possible for the family to spend the 
spring vacation in the country, they clean their own 
rooms and help mother in other ways to set the house 



170 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

in order; they get their lessons studied promptly; they 
help to get their clothes ready for the trip; they give 
Rover a bath; they buy gifts for the friends whom they 
are to visit and make purchases to supply their own needs; 
they select the book or books which they want to take 
with them, going to the library, perhaps, for this pur- 
pose ; they earn and save all the money they can, perhaps 
to pay for their own tickets, perhaps to spend for their 
friends' as well as their own pleasure during the visit; 
they make last calls on their friends at home. So the 
project, " a trip to the country," ties up in an unforced way 
all these varied experiences. 

The curriculum outlined in Section I shows the possi- 
bility in school life of correlations just as natural as these. 
The organization is unified by the provision of a control- 
ling purpose for the grade, which constantly suggests the 
next link in each chain of activities, and at the same time 
binds all the individual or small-group chains together 
into the solidarity of the large social whole. 

"(b) Such an organisation will allow for individual 
freedom, initiative, and originality. It will help the child 
to discover his own aptitudes and abilities, and will afford 
the teacher effective meaiis of training these aptitudes 
and abilities." 

That provision for Individual freedom, initiative, and 
originality is among the most important requisites of a 
curriculum for children has become axiomatic. Wher- 
ever the project method is used with understanding, the 
child has more or less opportunity for exercising these 
instincts and powers. In most cases, however, the oppor- 
tunities are very uncertainly distributed. In other words, 
the child may or may not stumble upon the problem or 
activity fitted to give him the development which he most 
needs or which the world most needs from him. Native 
abilities may be atrophying merely because they have not 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 171 

been discovered and exercised. For, in the artificial con- 
ditions of modern civilization, it may often happen that 
the opportunity to try himself out along all lines cannot 
possibly come to the child through such problems or 
projects as the natural conditions of the child's life suggest 
or make possible. Dewey has said : 

" The child is expected ' to develop ' this or that fact 
or truth out of his own mind. He is told to think things 
out or work things out for himself, without being sup- 
plied any of the environing conditions which are requisite 
to start and guide thought." ^^ 

The author is strongly of the opinion that schools 
are largely responsible for the dearth of poets and artists 
as well as for the widespread lack of power to enjoy 
poetry and art, because the curriculums have killed off both 
constructive and appreciative abilities along these lines. 

Two important outcomes are sure to result from the 
living through of such experiences as are outlined in 
Section I. First, in the working out of each large unit 
of life, such a variety of experience is necessitated by the 
making and executing of the plans for the minor, con- 
tributing projects that each child may easily discover his 
special niche in the social structure, his special creative 
power. Individual choice of group work is offered when 
each new unit is begun, and a trying-out process within 
each group follows. For instance, in the project, " mak- 
ing wall paper for the bathrooms of the newly constructed 
homes of the doll families of Grade I," all the members 
of each family compete for the privilege of making 
enough paper to cover the walls of this room. First, there 
is a meeting of all the families, at which samples of paper 
suitable for this purpose — obtained from a paper-hanger 
or made beforehand by the teacher — ^are shown and dis- 

" Dewey — The Child and the Curriculum, p. 24. 



172 TEE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

cussed, so as to establish standards. A strongly motivated 
art lesson follows, each child making his design and 
choosing his tints. Each family is constituted a commit- 
tee to choose from the samples made by its members, 
with the teacher as consulting expert. The special artistic 
abilities disclosed in these lessons will thereafter be nur- 
tured by exercise and reward. In the varied projects 
which this group of miniature families undertake during 
the year, manifold opportunities are found for similar 
discovery and exercise along the line of all the essentials 
for social well-being. 

In the second place, the use of a unifying project 
greatly reduces the labor and strain of project teaching. 
Indeed, it might be physically impossible for one teacher 
to guide and help all the children of a large school en- 
gaged in absolutely self -suggested projects. But one 
teacher can easily handle as group work the initial de- 
velopment of each new phase of the unifying project, since 
every child will have a strong interest in learning how 
to do the thing which is so significant to him and to 
his associates. The teacher will then be able to check up 
personally the individual work of the children, giving 
help where needed and enlisting the services of the leaders 
as fast as these are discovered or developed. Thus there 
may be abundant opportunity for freedom, initiative, and 
originality, while the limits imposed by the nature and 
sequence of the problems before the class bring guidance 
within the ability of one person. 

"(c) Since the work of each grade will require the 
repetition and enlarging of the subject matter of the pre- 
ceding grade, drill in content is provided without special 
mechanism, while the necessary drill in processes may he 
made either an integral or a related part of the project." 

Under the theses thus far considered, an attempt has 
been made to prove (i) that a curriculum may be con- 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 173 

structed which fully recognizes the element of play 
(satisfyingtiess) ; (2) that life as it is lived out of 
schools may be carried into the school; (3) that large 
units of this life may organize the school activities; (4) 
that there will be a natural sequence in the development 
of the phases of this unit; (5) that the " doing " side of 
the work will guide the thinking and planning side; (6) 
that the facts learned and the skills, habits, attitudes, and 
ideals developed will bear directly on the aifairs of to-day 
rather than be directed toward to-morrow; (7) that the 
so-called studies — reading, writing, arithmetic, history, 
geography, and the others — will be taught as necessary 
phases of experience; (8) that through the large life- 
wholes of the curriculum the " minimal essentials " may 
be painlessly attained. 

One of the questions of paramount importance is, 
" Does the curriculum provide for the necessary repeti- 
tion and drill, the stamping-in process, the formation of 
good habits — and can it make this drill interesting 
in itself?" 

To begin with, in such a curriculum as has just been 
outlined things which belong together occur together, and 
occur again and again. This is the initial step in 
habit- formation. 

The drill work is handled in much the same way as 
in the traditional or the newer topical type of curriculum, 
except that there is no need to drag in disconnected and 
often far-fetched associations, such as climbing ladders, 
stepping over the river on stones, or picking apples from 
trees, to impress the fimdamentals of number or word 
study. When " devices " are needed — and they will prob- 
ably have to be employed in order to make the more diffi- 
cult processes a part of the child's nervous system — they 
are chosen in such a way as to connect with the interest at 
hand, so that the presence of similar elements may help 



174 THE PHOJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

the learning, and the child's attention may be kept on the 
thing to be taught rather than diverted to the strange, 
interest-getting device. 

In all cases the child should be allowed to discover 
for himself the need for drill, should be made actually to 
want it, before the drill is given. For example, the child 
frequently felt the need for spelling the names of the 
streets represented in the city project. He met it first 
when the school city was organized ; again, when the lay- 
ing out of the city was begun and the names of the streets 
needed were written on the board as the children sug- 
gested them. He experienced the need when he wrote 
the signposts for his streets ; once more when he wrote his 
history of the city. The motive here was so strong, the 
interest in learning these names so great, that little drill 
proved necessary. But if need had become apparent, drill 
might have taken the form of such a game as the following. 
The streets are diagrammed on the blackboard. The first 
child who can put in all the names correctly will be allowed 
some privilege, such as that of having his name signed to 
the street guide post in his own aisle. 

Again, suppose the first grade needs a drill in num- 
ber. About the time that the children are ready to buy 
hats or dresses for the doll families in the second-grade 
store, they must learn to read price marks. Instead of 
giving the necessary drill by having numbers on " birds 
flying in the air," we " play store," outlining a huge show 
window on the board, and allowing the children to draw 
within it garments and hats with price marks upon them. 
Rapid recognition may then be practiced in various ways. 
Or, price tags may be pinned on the children's own gar- 
ments, and a game may be played which will give physical 
exercise as well as the number skills desired. In all cases-, 
however, the teacher must make sure that the emphasis is 
on the chief object of the drill. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 175 

As to the content drill or repetition, this type of work 
furnishes it naturally. An understanding and apprecia- 
tion of the facts taught in one grade before passing on 
to the next is even more essential in this new type of 
work than in the traditional curriculum. But this under- 
standing is practically certain to come. For instance, 
the child in first grade, in the making, dressing, and hous- 
ing of his doll family, will learn some very simple facts 
about cotton, wool, silk, wood. When he gets into second 
grade he meets the same materials in building the store 
and stocking the dry goods and the furniture department ; 
thus he reviews the facts learned the year before and adds 
to them in this widening of his experience. In the third- 
grade city he again meets these materials as he sets up in 
business for himself; and going into business calls for 
more knowledge concerning one's wares than the mere 
stocking of a store department. 

In the field of history, the child plays Indian tribe in 
the second grade, the activities of the tribe furnishing the 
stock of the Indian department of the store. Again in 
third grade the Indian appears, taking his place among the 
other primitive peoples met by the child as he traces the 
evolution of the five F's — food, fabrics, firesides, friends, 
and fun — in developing the modern city. Thus is drill — 
Thorndike's " practice with zeal " — provided for, 

" Thesis 6. School rewards and punishments will 
parallel those of real life, since individual success in this 
play life involves group as well as individual satisfaction; 
while failure brings group disapproval which spurs the 
individual to renewed effort or induces him to choose 
another line of activity." 

One of the largest factors in child life is that of 
discipline — the problem of moral development. Those 
interested in the training of children are now pretty gener- 
ally of the opinion — first, that moral and social develop- 



176 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

ment are essentially one and the same; and second, that 
this development cannot be attained by talking about it, 
or by the teaching of fixed rules of conduct. Here 
as elsewhere: 

"Educational theorists neglect them (the laws of 
habit) when they explain learning in terms of general 
faculties, such as attention, interest, memory, or judg- 
ment, instead of multitudes of connections ; or appeal to 
vague forces such as learning, development, adaptation, 
or adjustment, instead of the defined action of the laws of 
exercise and effect; or assume that the mere presence of 
ideas of good acts will produce those acts." -° 

Social, i.e., moral, behavior is the outcome of the 
whole life of the child. Methods of working, habits of 
thinking, the building up of ideals of work and play, 
the development of modes of behavior and thinking along 
all lines of social experience, determine the degree of 
morality or socialization, or of unmorality or non-social- 
ization, of the individual. 

In the group life called for by the suggested curricu- 
lum, group approval, group appreciation, group sugges- 
tion, group punishment, are the disciplinary agents. 
When, for instance, the father of one of the first-grade 
families proved unworthy of his responsibility, the group 
so disapproved that he was forced either to mend his 
ways or to give up his high office of leadership. This 
being a play situation, it is quite possible to try out the 
other male members of the group iof the position. Let 
the best father win ! In the working out of the writer's 
experiment, this shifting was seldom necessary, for the 
father usually reformed promptly and effectually in the 
light of his fellows' doubt of his fitness to head their 
group. In the store, the cashier or clerk who neglected 

^ Thorndike — Educational Psychology, Vol. ii, p. 20. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 177 

his business was demoted, or deprived of his wages, or in 
some other way was made so to feel the disapproval of 
the group that he turned over a new leaf. In the city, 
the child on Brave Street who gave trouble was removed 
to Trouble Street by the decision of the other Brave 
Streeters that he was an undesirable neighbor. He was 
allowed to return when he brought forth fruits meet for 
repentance; and none of the dwellers on Trouble Street 
were content to remain there long! 

As to the habits and standards of work which such 
a program develops, the groups decide what degree of 
finish or skill can be accepted, and what must be turned 
down as unfit. Thus high standards for the final output 
can be constantly maintained. Such methods of punish- 
ment as being kept after school, writing " disobedient " 
one hundred times, or taking reports of misconduct home 
to parents are reduced to a minim.um. The teacher in 
each case becomes the court of final appeal. Her advice 
is often sought, but except in extreme cases it is not im- 
posed upon the group. It is not even offered unless in her 
judgment the word in season may guide into more just, 
more wholesome, or more economical paths. 

The author feels very strongly the truth of what 
Dewey has so well put in saying: 

" The child is one, and he must either live his social 
life as an integral, unified being, or suffer loss and create 
friction. To pick out one of the many social relations 
which the child bears, and to define the work of the school 
by that alone, is like instituting a vast and complicated 
system of physical exercise which would have for its ob- 
ject simply the development of the lungs and the power 
of breathing, independent of other organs and functions. 
The child is an organic whole, intellectually, socially, and 
morally, as well as physically." ^^ 

° Dewey — Moral Principles of Education, p. 8. 
12 



178 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

*' Thesis 7. While a special plant is desirable for this 
sort of school, the new organisation can be begun in a 
building of the ordinary type and at moderate expense, 
since the children can furnish much of the initial equip- 
ment and can make m^ore and more of it as the organisa- 
tion develops." 

In anticipation of the objection that a new and costly- 
type of equipment will be essential to the carrying out of 
the sort of curriculum here suggested, the author would 
say that though a change in some general features of the 
ordinary modern school building would simplify and 
improve the working out of the projects, a wholesale 
change is not necessary. In the experiment at Trenton 
very little special equipment was supplied and that little 
was inexpensive. The essentials, besides the determina- 
tion on the part of the teacher to make the most of what 
she has at hand, are the cooperation of the school adminis- 
trators, (i) in the necessary adjustments of daily pro- 
gram, such as the breaking down of short periods of 
work — for in most cases the project will suffer unless 
the time for stopping an activity can be influenced by other 
elements in the situation than the expiration of a twenty- 
or thirty-minute period; (2) in the moving of furniture 
so as to leave space enough at one end of the room for 
the meeting of groups and the actual manual labor involved 
in the scheme; (3) in the provision of a small room where 
materials may be kept and where groups may retire for 
certain kinds of work; (4) in the furnishing of a small 
fund for the purchase of such materials as the children, 
with the help of the teacher, cannot find ways to get. 
Most of the things needed can be and ought to be supplied 
by the children; this finding of ways and means should 
be a part of the project, unless it involves an outlay so 
large that parents would suffer. 

The author is taking it for granted that if the school- 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRIOULUM 179 

room is not large enough to provide the space for such 
work by a shifting of the furniture, an additional room 
may be given over to the grade; one such room might 
answer for several grades. She is assuming that each 
room will have a few good work-benches, fitted with tools 
which the children will be permitted to use, and that the 
furniture will be of the movable type. She also hopes 
that the teacher will be supplied with the books necessary 
for the carrying out of her work ; furthermore, that text- 
book writers will soon be furnishing the types of material 
needed by the children, in the shape of reference books 
as well as readers. The need here is serious. 

" Thesis 8. A curriculum built on projects duplicat- 
ing life experiences, and widening as the experience of 
the child widens, creates or fosters in teachers a live 
interest in their profession and promotes their personal 
as well as professional growth, as the more formal cur- 
riculum seldom does." 

Results of recent studies of the teaching personnel 
show that the profession is not attracting the best students 
among the high school graduates, nor are the schools suc- 
ceeding in retaining the teachers who have proved 
themselves most fit. There are various reasons, chiefly 
economic, for this twofold failure, which cannot be dis- 
cussed here. But aside from these, there is a possible cause 
which seems very plausible to some of us who have come 
into contact with many teachers, both in training and in the 
field. This is the fact that for the individual with marked 
initiative and originality, the routine work of teaching 
along the traditional lines which she is usually forced 
to follow is deadening, and often makes the life such a 
bore that she is glad to leave it even without the lure of 
higher salary. The especially gifted high-school pupil, 
having grown up under the old system, judges the pro- 
fession from her own experience under it and is unwill- 



180 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

ing to enter a field which affords so' little opportunity for 
active thinking and independent doing. This type of 
person seeks employment offering greater incentive and 
opportunity for creative activities than is afforded by the 
pouring, or perhaps poimding, of cut-and-dried subject 
matter from books, into the heads of children. The 
mediocre type of graduate, lacking the inventive spark, 
is satisfied to receive material and directions for her 
work in such predigested packages labeled " English," 
"Arithmetic," "Literature," "History," "Biology," as 
are handed out in many Normal Schools. She hasn't 
even waked to the fact that what was given to her under 
the name of education is open to criticism. She has taken 
it as a matter of course that the schools did not discover 
to her any especial abilities in herself — only the average 
intelligence which makes it possible for her to hand out 
to children just such packages of predigested mental food 
as were given to her. 

"(a) Such a curriculum is of special value in Train- 
ing Schools in order that the teacher in training may 
learn to handle life-wholes." 

If we would have our young teachers help us develop 
improved methods of teaching children, the impetus must 
be given in the Training Schools. It hardly seems reason- 
able to expect these beginners to initiate improvements in 
the field, if they find no fountain of inspiration, no demon- 
stration of ways to utilize the waters of such a fountain, 
in our teacher-training centers. These should constitute 
the field for experimental work — for proving the practi- 
cability of new ideas — as well as that for giving prac- 
tice in the best types of teaching already accepted. 
These are the places where young teachers must get 
the experimental attitude. This attitude is unlike 
many others in that it cannot be taught from books. 
Participation in some experimental work, carefully 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CXJREUCULUM 181 

supervised and checked up, of course, must be provided. 

The writer made the experiment described in Section 
I, in a Training School where most of the detailed work 
was done by student teachers. One of the most inter- 
esting results was the changed attitude of these young 
women toward the whole profession. The curriculum 
which they helped to put into effect in the first three 
grades opened up to them new experiences which speedily 
called forth all their resources, and developed a spirit of 
adventure, a spirit of real joy in their work. There was 
no monotony in their ten weeks of teaching, and long 
before the expiration of their period of practice many 
had discovered abilities which they had not dreamed that 
they possessed. Knowing the ordinary school as they 
knew it, their usual fear was that the force of conditions, 
the lack of insight and sympathy in those over them, 
would make a continuance of their /oyous work impos- 
sible in their regular positions. 

The new curriculum became a means of " try-out " 
or " try-again " for a number of seniors who had not 
made a success of their practice teaching under the old 
regime; and not one of them failed. This was due 
mainly to the fact that arrangement and sequence of subject 
matter, details of content, motivation, correlation, discipline, 
the rousing and sustaining of interest — those factors which 
make the charge of a schoolroom so complicated a task for 
the inexperienced teacher — ^are largely taken care of under 
the new organization by the very nature of the life- whole 
which dominates the work of each grade, 

" (b) Such a curriculum is a valuable means of pro- 
fessdonalising subject matter by furnishing a hub, as it 
were, from which the so-called academic subjects of the 
Normal School curriculum may radiate." 

The writer believes that the elementary curriculum 
should be the suggesting agent in the training of the young 



182 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

teacher. Moreover, each of the facts involved in this 
curriculum should be made a nucleus for related knowl- 
edge, since culture as well as successful teaching in any 
field requires more than mere acquaintance with the facts 
to be taught. The teacher-to-be goes to the Normal 
School with the two-fold purpose of learning how to use 
the tools of instruction and practicing their use under 
competent constructive criticism. She should get this 
experience all through her course, not merely in the " pro- 
fessional " courses. 

Now, what is really meant by the phrase which we 
now hear on every side — " the professionalizing of sub- 
ject matter " ? Does not the term — should not the term 
— include all of the following implications ? 

1. Adaptation of subject matter in the so-called aca- 
demic courses to its use in the elementary school, plus 
all the enrichment possible. This means that the element- 
ary curriculum will form the starting point, the " alpha," 
the " minimal essentials," of the Normal School curric- 
ulum, but the " omega " will be limited only by such 
extraneous factors as the amount of time and space avail- 
able, the knowledge and skill of the " academic " teacher, 
and the possibility of getting the materials needed. 

2. The selection of subject matter from the vast 
fields of knowledge according to the demands of the ele- 
mentary school rather than in response to tradition or the 
leanings of the individual instructor in the subject. 

3. An attempt to build up and develop the elementary 
school through the Normal School. This makes the in- 
direct aim of the Normal School to train little children to 
live more truly, more effectively. Therefore its own 
students must be trained so to live. 

4. Living material, in the form of " life-wholes," as 
the basic projects of the Normal School, as of the ele- 
mentary school, curriculum. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 183 

Notice the gradual widening of experience involved 
in the six life-units of the curriculum already described. 
Little which is of importance to the individual or to 
society is left out. Most of the subjects representing 
life activities, life processes, and life ideals are implied 
in these six inclusive projects. Consequently the argu- 
ment that the elementary school curriculum is too nar- 
row, too limited in possibilities for the all-round growth 
of Normal students, is not well grounded ; for the whole 
development of civilization, from individual living and 
the simple family unit to cooperative and democratic liv- 
ing and the big world relations, is presented in a concrete 
way in these six projects. 

Moreover, in such a Normal School course, disjointed 
work — unorganized materials with loose ends everywhere 
— may be avoided. The wise selection of materials and 
of points of emphasis is ensured. Method is guided by 
the choice of material and the very nature of the successive 
situations. This provides for practice in all methods, or 
at least in all the methods used in everyday life; and appli- 
cability to everyday life is, after all, the only excuse for 
the existence of any method. 

The following plan for launching the work is sug- 
gested. The elementary curriculum, worked out in more 
or less detail, will be put into the hands of every student 
soon after she enters the Normal School, to be used as 
a text. She will analyze the curriculum as it stands and 
will arrange the subject matter comprised in the different 
phases of life treated, under the usual heads of geography, 
history, arithmetic, etc. The lists of topics, questions, 
and projects thus obtained will be handed to the teachers 
of the respective subjects. In each department the lists 
will be pooled, the students helping in the operation. 
Each subject-matter teacher will then organize her course, 
the students again assisting. Next there will be a meeting, 



184 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

or a series of meetings, of all subject-matter teachers, to 
consult one another about the courses as organized by the 
individual teachers with their classes. If necessary, there 
may be a partial reorganization, or a rearrangement of 
the order of topics, in an effort to have each project 
worked out as a whole, the different departments hand- 
ling the phases of subject matter falling within their 
province. The students will be called in to this meeting 
to help in the final reorganization, for such planning as 
this is in itself valuable teacher-training. 

When all the phases of any subject needed by the 
elementary curriculum in the six grades have been thus 
organized and the " leads " which they open have been 
utilized, if there should remain any part of the subject 
which the academic teacher thinks should be given to 
complete or round it out, this part may be introduced 
wherever it best fits into the scheme. The head of the 
department will, of course, eliminate the overlapping 
which will be inevitable in the original lists owing to the 
fact that the later grades study subjects more intensively 
than the earlier. 

It will probably be necessary to remind the students 
more than once during their course, that there must be 
no " forced feeding " of the children — no effort to give 
them even indirectly all of each subject which the inex- 
perienced teacher has just learned. 

Before beginning to use the curriculum thus prepared, 
an introductory knowledge of some of the fundamental 
psychological and pedagogical principles involved should 
be given in a general course, such as that outlined by 
Dr. Bagley, but not yet published. It might be well 
to let this work go on during the process of organization 
just described, so as to allow the subject-matter teachers 
more time, in the intervals between their joint meetings 
with the students, to consider ways and means of carrying 



THESES UNDER1;YING this curriculum 185 

on the work, for there will be various problems of adminis- 
tration to be discussed. It will take time, too, to look 
into the possibilities of cooperation with local industries. 

One of the main objectives in this scheme is the early 
introduction of practice teaching, and one of the chief 
emphases is on the way of beginning this most important 
phase of training the novice in teaching. It is the opinion 
of the writer that we make a great mistake in introducing 
students to their first classes by having them do the 
sundry and various chores of the schoolroom, such as the 
care of books, the records of attendance, etc. The chil- 
dren easily and quickly get the idea that the student who 
does nothing but this sort of work — which has been aptly 
called the " dish-washing " of teaching — is undergoing 
an apprenticeship, is not fit to teach, and they respond 
to her suggestions or requests in this spirit. Thus the 
morale of the Training School is frequently lowered. 
The children form the habit of disrespect for this person 
who " doesn't know how to teach yet," unless she hap- 
pens to have both self-confidence and tact, unless she is a 
" born teacher." The work referred to is necessary, it is 
true; but the young teacher will have abundant opportu- 
nity for acquiring all these skills in the course of her train- 
ing, if, indeed, she is not in danger of overleaming them. 

Would it not be better to introduce the student to the 
children through an actual, live, teaching experience, 
making sure that these " first appearances " involve activi- 
ties which the children themselves feel to be well worth 
while? They would thus form the habit of looking for- 
ward to the coming of this teaching visitor with pleasant 
anticipations of something interesting rather than with 
the idea of trying her to see how far they can go. 

Such a first appearance would be possible for every 
student teacher if the emphasis in developing each unit of 
academic subject matter was equally divided between 



186 THE PROJECT AS ORGAINIZING THE CURRICULUM 

facts and method. Each unit should involve the making 
of lesson plans, perhaps the working through of a few 
of these plans — the Normal School class acting as chil- 
dren — and should end with the teaching of the unit in 
the Training School after a most careful sifting of ways 
and means, as well as of the Normal School class, in order 
to determine which member shall do this teaching. 

This plan would insure well-worked-out lessons, care- 
fully supervised by dep'artment experts, and fitting into 
the general scheme and development of work in the 
Training School instead O'f upsetting it completely, as 
usually happens even in those Normal Schools which are 
making the strongest efforts to bring the academic and 
the training departments together. For example, in the 
third-grade project of " playing city," at the time the 
children need to know something about the departments 
of the mr icipal government in order to organize their 
city, the history department, having already worked out 
this lesson in detail, may be ready to make a contribution 
to the grade work by having one of -the students give a 
lesson or a series of lessons on this subject. If the history 
department is not ready to do this, the work will be given 
by the room teacher, for it is hardly possible that even 
the; most careful organization will enable us to reach the 
ideal of having each unit of the training school curricu- 
lum taken up in the academic department before the time 
for teaching it in the grade. 

In the following outline of content for the different 
departments in the Normal School, no attempt is made to 
refine the organization of the subject matter under each 
of the conventional heads, geography, English, etc., since 
the scope of the problem here undertaken does not permit 
such refinement. The suggestions are given in the topical 
form, using merely words or phrases; the question form 
would probably facilitate and strengthen the work. No 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 187 

time limits for the development of each topic have been 
set, nor has the matter of credit units been worked out 
as yet. The aim of this discussion is merely to get before 
those interested in Normal School work definite proposals 
for a new organization of curriculum content and method 
which may help to solve some of the numerous problems 
involved in securing full cooperation between academic 
and training departments, and the largest measure of 
mutual helpfulness. The writer hopes that she has shown 
possibilities of a richness of study for the Normal School 
student which will enable her to teach facts of the great- 
est value to the children and to develop in them habits, 
skills, attitudes, and ideals most worth while. It is not 
expected that all of the subject matter suggested under 
each topic will be given to the children, but all of it should 
be understood and learned by the student teacher. For 
it is the contention of the writer that the mal<cing of good 
teachers is not the only function of the Normal School. 
This institution will not attain the full measure of its 
growth, will not discharge the full measure of its respon- 
sibility, until it shares with the " academic " college the 
duty of sending out its graduates broader-minded indi- 
viduals, better citizens and better members of society, 
than they were when they entered. It is hard to believe 
that learning how to teach children to live a broader, 
a more decidedly socialized, type of life can fail to stimu- 
late the teacher's thinking and lead her into a richer and 
more socialized life of her own. 

THE NORMAL SCHOOL CURRICULUM 

I. CONTENT MATERIAL FOR THE FIRST-GRADE PROJECT — 

PLAYING FAMILIES 

I. English 
Making sentences 
Making rhymes and jingles 
Building up and reading directions for the work done 



188 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 



Reading rhymes and jingles 

Reading advertisements 

Writing and reading letters 

Reading questions and giving answers 

Reading dialogue 

Reading stories 

Reading poems 

Selection of child literature suitable for first grade 

(a) Stories (b) Poems 
Making stories and poems or jingles to fit occasions 
Mother Goose in home life 
Some lessons in typewriting 
Methods of intelligent drill 
Phonetic work, as a tool 
Speech development 

(a) For individual help 

(b) For correction and the formation of good habits in 

children 
Library method for getting at the material involved 
Penmanship 

2. Arithmetic 
Household arithmetic 
Measuring (Mensuration in detail. 

Systems studied comparatively) 
P . j Economical methods 

[ How to present to children ? 
Sorting 
As to size 
As to weight 
As to length 
As to width 
Money 

„ ,V \ Economy, common sense 
Selhng j 

Comparisons — large, small, middle-sized 

Class work out as many devices as possible for teaching 
these 
Mother Goose and arithmetic 



Adult arithmetic 
dealing with 
these points 



Methods for 
drill in the 
facts taught in 
this grade 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 189 

3. Physical Training 



Find dances and games suitable for 

home occasions 
Originate such as cannot be found 



Folk dances 
Folk games 
Singing and action 

games 
No formal work except for corrective purposes 

4. Industrial Arts 

Family clothing 1 , , 
-r, •, u • r problems 
t amily housmg I ^ 

Buying 

Pattern making 

Cutting 

Sewing 

Cotton ] 

Wool > study. Charts made 

Silk J _ 

Manipulation of materials 

Clay of all sorts studied and handled 1 

Wood of all sorts studied and handled > Charts made 

Fabrics of all sorts studied and handled J 

Constructive activities 

r)i c ^'^^ I Various kinds of dolls made 
Flay families-^ TT- r , n ,• 1 

^ History of dolls studied 

Play houses — a variety made 

Articles in the home 

Good taste in furnishing 
Housekeeping. Practical problems 
Lunches. Preparation and packing 

5. Fine Arts 

^ . . , , . f Embroidery 

Decoration of clothing stenciling 

Applied design [ Tied-and-dyed work and Batique 

Decoration of the home f Wall papers, woodwork, textile 

A careful study of all \ decorations, simplicity of 
phases [ form, picture arrangement 

Decoration of the schoolroom 



190 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Decoration of books 

Picture study — with the aim of making wise selections 
for use with the children, as well as from the view- 
point of appreciation 

Flower arrangement 

6. Elementary Science (Nature Study) 

Animal families — father, mother, babies 

Each student responsible for study of one family 
If practicable, one or more families to be cared for, 
for a time at least, in the laboratory or in the 
Training School 

Human biology 

Household pests 
How detect 
How exterminate 

Household chemistry 

Vegetables used in the home 

Garden work 

Vegetable gardens for home and school 
Flower gardens for home and school 

Wild flowers of the season 

7. Music 
Family songs 

Folk songs studied and given as programs for various 
occasions 
Other forms of music for entertainment 

Opportunity for lessons on piano, violin, etc. 
Victrola records, carefully selected 
Good taste in music for the home 

Elimination of the " jazz " type 
Opportunity for development for the specially gifted 

8. Social Life and Hygiene 
Family life 
Historical and sociological study of the family as a unit 
in society 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CUERICULUM 191 

Study of primitive life, emphasizing especially the family 
and the development of communities and larger 
groups 
Primitive homes 

Group living — for protection, work, pleasure 
Club life, as representative of concerted activities 
Forms of wholesome entertainment 
In primitive times 

In modern society — detailed study of ways and means 
(music, plays, readings, lectures, moving pictures) 
Trips — real and imaginary 

■rj , J . Class take these trips, which will be 

How to conduct } . ,, , .^ ' 

What to look for J <^arefully planned 

Mother Goose and social life 

second-grade project — playing store (department 

type) 

I. English 

Second-grade literature 
Letter writing 

All types, emphasis on business forms 

More work in typewriting 
Advertising 

Different methods 

Cartoons 
" The Advertiser," a store magazine 
Store stories, for the magazine 

Drill in spelling and correct form whenever need arises 
Students to keep individual spelling books in which are 
recorded all misspelled words 

2. Arithmetic 

Commercia,! arithmetic 

Making of maps 3^nd graphs 

Statistical skills needed in industrial studies 

Clothing prices — reasons for 



192 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Furniture prices — reasons for 
Profit and loss in buying 
Actual experience in buying 

For manual training department 
For domestic science department 
Materials for clothing 
Supplies for lunch room and for cooking classes 

3. Geography 

Forest areas, particularly in the United States — maps 
Other raw material areas, e.g., hides and leather 
Pottery areas 
Commercial geography 

Transportation 

Water power 

Products 
United States production, compared with the output of 

other countries — graphs 
Fabric countries 

Cotton, wool, silk, linen, lace 
Toy countries 

4. History 

The Industrial Revolution and its far-reaching eflfects 
Agencies for supplementing education in industries 
History of furniture making, especially in England and 

America 
History of spinning, weaving, etc. 

Inventors in this field 
Industrial civics 
Industrial laws 

Political issues 
Child labor laws 
Forestry laws 

Suggestions for constructive measures 
Fire laws 



Botanical or zoological nature, cultivation, etc. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 193 

5. Elementary Science and Hygiene 

Tree study — forestry 

Cotton 

Linen 

Wool 

Silk 

Leather 

Production of food 

Preservation of food 

Refrigeration, canning, drying, etc. 
Lighting — chemistry and physics 
Heating — chemistry and physics 
Ventilation 
Telephone 
Telegraph 

6. Industrial Arts 

A complete set of substantial furniture for each room of a 
house and large enough for the children of grades 
I-III to occupy. Each member of the Normal class 
to make at least one piece, those showing special skill 
to make the more difficult pieces 

Types of furniture — periods studied 

A study of furniture woods 

Different woods used for the different sets mentioned 
above. 

Wood finishes 
Polishing 
Painting 

Good taste in furniture 

Review of fabric origins 

Weaving 

Testing for quality 

Factory conditions 

Factory laws 

Economic problems 

Making rugs for playhouse 

Study of Oriental as well as domestic rug manufacture 
13 



194 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Ready-made clothes 

Each student to make at least one garment, motivated 
by her own need or that of someone else 
Millinery 

Each student to make one hat, the making to be 
motivated 

Feather industry 

Artificial flower industry 
Lace industry 
Toy industry 

Each student to originate and make one toy 

Study of conditions in the industry 
Pottery industry 

Study of conditions 

Indian vs. modern manufacture 

Each student to make at least one piece 
Shoe industry 

Economic conditions 

Making of charts to illustrate processes 
Development of one department of the second grade's store 
in detail, to be taught in the grade. Different phases 
taught by different students 

7. Fine Arts 

Applied design in houses, furniture, china, clothes 
Museum trips or pictures as helps in this study 
Carving 1 applied to the sets of play 

Painting of ornament J furniture 
Fabric decorations 

Embroidery 

Stenciling 

Batique 

Block printing 

Factory methods of printing 
Rug designs, especially in Oriental rugs 
Indian pottery designs 
Advertisements — Posters 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 195 

THIRD-GRADE PROJECT PLAYING CITY 

I. English 
Reading clubs 

Organized in the class for studying the best literary pro- 
ductions. Not all working in the same field, but making 
reports and giving excerpts at inter-club meetings so 
that each may get some parts of the conquests of all 
Third-grade literature 

Library course, gathering material related to the three 
phases of the work — Reading clubs 

Literature for the third grade 
City problems 
Public speeches 
City business forms 

Directions for the various pieces of work to be done 
" Plans and specifications " 

Reports of activities of the various departments of city 
government 

2. Arithmetic 
City finance 

City graphs 
Taxation 
Banking 

Methods of investing money 
Commission 

3. Geography 
Home or local geography 

Map making 

City maps 
Map interpretation 

Land contours 

River forms, etc. 
Products 

Exports and imports 

Transportation of commodities 
Railroads 

To what points ? 

From what points ? 



196 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

4. History 
City governments 
Different forms compared and criticized 
Evolution of forms 
City problems (Civics) 
Sanitation 

Protection of life and property 
Punishment of crime 
Prevention of crime 
Water supply 
Milk supply, etc. 
City charities 

Organized methods 
Taxes 
Census 

Civic opportunities through organizations, e.g., Scout 
movement, Red Cross, lecture bureaus, Y.M.C.A., 
libraries, etc. ; students suggest constructive programs 
for these agencies for the improvement of society 
Primitive history (origins in) 
Evolution of — 
Houses 
Streets 
Bridges 

5. Elementary Science and Hygiene 

Lighting the city 

Water supply 

City heating systems 

Problems of city hygiene and sanitation 

Pure milk supply 

Ice for the city 
Trees in the city 

Kinds, uses, planting of 
Means of transportation 

Trolley system 

Taxicabs 

Trucks 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS GURRIOULUM 197 

Telephone service 
Telegraph system 
Mail service — pneumatic tubes — aeroplane delivery 

6. Industrial Arts 

Methods of constructing a city in the schoolroom, dem- 
onstrated on sand table 
Opportunity for numerous plans and suggestions 
Study of the possibilities of the sand table as an aid in 
the clarification of ideas 
House construction 
Street construction 
Bridge construction 
Typical industries 
Trips 
Products 
Charts 

Reports — the outgrowth of careful study and investiga- 
tion 

7. Fine Arts 

Methods of beautifying the city 
Horticulture 

Class to undertake the beautifying of a waste place on 
campus or elsewhere. 
Use of marble, terra cotta, cement, for ornament 
Art gallery 

Class to collect photographs or prints of good pictures 
or statuary and mount them for ■use in the Training 
School 
Primitive art 
Very early types 

Development through successive periods 
Use of primitive methods and motifs in decorating the 
objects made during this study 



198 THE PEOJEC - AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

8. Music 
City concerts 

An orchestra organized, if class contains enough 

musicians 
Use of good records of band music and symphony- 
orchestra numbers (to supplement or replace fine 
concerts) 
City choruses 

Emphasis on folk songs 

Class to arrange programs, and render them on 
occasions 
City dancing 
Folk dances 

Esthetic dances by those with ability and training 
Jocial dancing 

Reasons for discrimination 

Note. — Effort to secure appreciation of all forms of art 
in surroundings — music, dancing, pictures, statuary, vis- 
tas, landscape gardening. 

Since the unifying projects for the next three grades 
have not yet been tried out with children, the writer will 
not attempt now to make definite proposals for the Nor- 
mal School paralleling the work of the fourth, fifth, and 
sixth grades. However, the suggestion of a few possi- 
bilities may help to establish her contention that the ele- 
mentary school curriculum is a sufficient basis for a 
Normal School curriculum almost limitless in possibili- 
ties, yet having vital organization and motivation — pro- 
gressive, inclusive, and reaching deep into the lives of 
the students. 

FOURTH GRADE — PLAYING A YEAR's TRIP AROUND THE WORLD 

The history will be Oriental (including Egypt, Baby- 
lon, Assyria, Palestine, Phoenicia), Grecian, and Roman, 
to give background and perspective, with glimpses of the 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 199 

history of the peoples visited (to be supplemented by, or 
for, the work of the sixth grade) . 

Geography will give a bird's-eye view of the countries 
visited, showing continents and national boundaries, 
land forms and water forms. 

Number work will be largely " traveling arithmetic " 
— methods of payment (checks, travelers' checks, drafts, 
money orders) ; buying tickets, mileage rates ; securities, 
insurance (accident and life) ; names and equivalent 
values of the coins or pieces of paper money in other 
countries, especially those best known or most fre- 
quently met. 

English work will comprise letter writing of all forms, 
telegrams, cablegrams, keeping a diary (descriptions of 
places and people), perhaps to be organized later into a 
book, " My Travels Abroad." Correct pronunciation and 
clear enunciation emphasized. Conversation in foreign 
languages, especially the forms needed in travel. Litera- 
ture appropriate for fourth grade. 

Fine arts abroad suggests almost inexhaustible possi- 
bilities — museums, characteristic art of each nation, 
architectural beauties of cathedrals, town halls, etc. 

Industrial arts might take the direction of a series of 
sand-table projects, showing various characteristics of 
each country as it is visited, national costumes, etc. Com- 
parisons of means of communication and transportation 
would be very effective. 

Science and nature study will include a study of 
temperature and climate, products of countries visited, 
races of men; cable systems, ships, submarines, aero- 
planes, dirigibles. 

Physical training will give fine opportunity for the 
folk dancing of different nations, festival activities, 
national ceremonies. 



200 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 
FIFTH GRADE — SEEING AMERICA THROUGH MOVING PICTURES 

This project at once suggests a detailed study of 
American life and the processes of Americanization, the 
necessary foundation for wise methods of assimilating 
our new blood having been laid in the preceding studies. 
Different types of industries will be studied as characteriz- 
ing different sections. Geographic controls of production 
will be considered, geographic influences on population, 
labor factors, economic problems, etc. 

The films used will show details of industry, details 
of travel through America, fine scenery, forestry areas, 
large cities, slum conditions, historical spots, etc. 

The Normal School students will devise various means 
of playing moving pictures when films are not available. 

SIXTH GRADE — ^A WORLd's FAIR 

This work will be a summary of all that went before, 
with a deeper or more intensive study of those elements 
in world geography, world history, world industry, world 
art, world communication through speech, world inter- 
dependence, which are necessary to show' America's rela- 
tion to other countries and to make clear the reasons for 
her obligation to the world in the establishment of a 
truer and more lasting brotherhood of nations. The 
Normal School students would help the sixth grade in 
many material ways in their presentation of a world's fair. 

In the development of these six projects, each mem- 
ber of the class will have taught at least two units under 
careful supervision and under conditions assuring the 
respect of the children, before beginning her period of full- 
time teaching. Having taught in each grade, she will 
be sent, for at least ten weeks of responsible practice 
teaching, into the grade in which she scored the greatest 
success during her apprenticeship, or the grade she most 
desires to teach after her graduation. 



THESES UNDERLYING THIS CURRICULUM 201 

These periods of practice teaching will close long 
enough before the end of the term to allow a rounding up 
of difficulties encountered and questions aroused, in what 
may be called a summary course. Each student will re- 
turn to her class and present her individual problems. 
These will be classified and organized into a general 
course, which will include a further study of principles of 
education, psychology of subject matter, child study, 
school management, etc. The exact nature and scope of 
this course may vary from year to year since it will 
depend largely on the nature and scope of ^the problems 
presented by the students. 



SECTION III 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM 
MAKING 

When one attempts to state objectives, aims, funda- 
mental principles, for curriculum making, he is con- 
fronted with a very complex problem. In the first place, 
there are many obstructions to sane thinking and sound 
judgments. A list of these hindrances would run some- 
what thus : 

1 . Social impediments, which may be broken up into : 

a. Limitations in the physical environment. 

b. Limitations in the moral environment. 

c. Limitations in the cultural environment. 

d. Financial handicaps. 

2. Intellectual and temperamental deficiencies, or, 

psychological handicaps. 

(Here comes in the lack of derinite scientific 
knowledge concerning the optimal methods of get- 
ting over to the child certain kinds of subject 
matter. ) 

3. The benumbing force of tradition. 

In the second place, there is frequently a lack of 
definiteness and concreteness in prescribing or describing 
a curriculum. This is often the result of a failure to 
carry the suggestions made at long range through to their 
actual embodiment in schoolroom practice. 

In order to get before us the principles of curriculum 
making which have been proposed by some of our more 
creative educational thinkers during the last thirty years, 
the following" statements, taken more or less at random, 
are quoted: 
202 



GUIDING PEINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 203 

I 

" Education is a process of development." 

" The school is an artificial environment, created for 
the purpose of preparing the mind to be afterwards edu- 
cated by the environments of hfe." 

" Select (o) the studies and the means of training 
which develop the greatest amount of mental and moral 
power, and (&) those which throw the greatest amount of 
light on the environments of life (physical; social, intel- 
lectual, and moral; government; business and trade; indus- 
trial; esthetic)." 

" The course must distinguish in its aims and its 
methods of teaching between studies furnishing material 
of thought and those which furnish merely symbols or 
tools of thought." 

" The curriculum must include other means of expres- 
sion, such as manual work. The course ought to make 
provision for the development of the creative and execu- 
tive faculties, at every stage of the child's development." 

" It (the course) must regard the coordinating of differ- 
ent studies, a blending of different lines of work, in order 
that knowledge can be truly organized in the child's mind 
and converted into faculty or power." 

NEW ENGLAND SUPERINTENDENTS" ASSOCIATION. 

REPORT OF COMMITTEE 189O. 

II 

" In the course of study we place on one side all the 
studies that belong to mathematics, physics, biology, and 
astronomy, and we add to these the studies of language 
and history. We then place on the other side the single 
branch of study known as literature. We speak of the 
numerous studies in the first group as relating to nature 
and mind in general, but we contrast all these with litera- 
ture, and assert that the branch of study set by itself over 
against that group, namely, the gems of poetry and 



204 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

belles-lettres, is the one that does more to give us a knowledge 
of human nature than all the others combined. 

" Thus in old age a man is apt to say of his studies in 
the elementary school : ' What I learned of arithmetic, 
geography, grammar and history has been useful to me, 
but it has not proved to be so thoroughly practical as the 
selections from literature which I read in the school 
readers ; for in them I learned to observe and express the 
feelings and emotions of the heart. I learned to trace 
these mere feelings into convictions and clear ideas. They 
became principles of policy and finally inspired and guided 
the acts and deeds of my life. In conning our reading 
lesson we learned how a blind instinct becomes an emo- 
tion, then a well-reasoned thought; later on a conviction 
and then an action; and, last of all, a habit. We noted all 
this in the lives of others and also in ourselves. We came 
to know human nature in this important respect.' " 

W. T. HARRIS. 
ADDRESS BEFORE THE N. E. A. — 1 898. 

Ill 

" To determine the curriculum, we must first decide 
what end we have in view. Granted that we want our 
children to become useful and well-informed, to have 
worthy ideals, and to be healthy and happy, to attain 
these ends we must consider both the knowing mind and 
the world of ascertained truth." 

" The social and religious interests may be satisfied 
by Bible teaching, imaginative literature, history, and 
language. The speculative and exploring interests de- 
mand geography, nature study, and experimental science ; 
also practical work in school, garden and laboratory. The 
reasoning or logical interest may be met by the study 
of number, calculation, measurement, arithmetic, geom- 
etry, and algebra. The artistic and constructive inter- 
ests demand opportunities for expression in singing, re- 
citing, acting, brush-work, drawing, modelling, weaving, 
wood-carving, carpentering; also practical domestic 



GUIDING PEINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 205 

work, needlework, cookery, laundry-work and simple 
house-work, care of garden plants, animals, etc. Some 
forms of play and physical exercises are also important." 

" Play and necessity are the chief means of learning, 
and children who are free from necessity must develop 
chiefly through play." 

C. J. DODD. 
THE CHILD AND THE CURRICULUM 1906. 

IV 

" Each subject of the curriculum is but an aspect of 
the whole idea — life. . 

" The world of experience is one, not many. . . . Hence 
the demand of the new pedagogy, supported heartily by 
the new sociology, that schooling, especially in its earlier 
stages, shall be changed from an afflictive imposition upon 
life to a rationally concentrated accomplishment of a por- 
tion of life itself. . . . Sociology has no tolerance for the 
pedantry that persists in carpentering together educa- 
tional courses out of subjects which are supposed to exer- 
cise, first, the perceptive faculty, then the memory, then the 
language faculty, then the logical faculty, etc., etc. . . . Our 
business as teachers is primarily not to train particular 
mental powers, but to select points of contact between learn- 
ing minds and the reality that is to be learned. . . . Ped- 
agogy should be the science of assisting youth to organ- 
ize their contacts with reality ... by both thought and 
action, and for both thought and action. ... It is the teacher's 
business to help the pupil to understand this whole environ- 
ment as it is related to himself. . . . One of the discov- 
eries which pupils should be aided to make, in their study 
of any time, or nation, or human process, should be that . . . 
' No man liveth unto himself ' . . . (also that) ' the roots of 
the present are deep in the past ' (and consequently) that the 
present cannot escape responsibility for the future." 

ALBION W. SMALL. 
THE DEMANDS OF SOCIOLOGY UPON PEDAGOGY — IQIO. 



206 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

V 

" A course of study has two main purposes : to pre- 
serve the unity of the system (for economic reasons) and 
to serve as a guide to the individual teacher. For both 
these ends it should be mandatory and prescriptive as to 
fundamentals but broad, free, suggestive, and stimulat- 
ing as to details and methods." 

More specifically, for the preservation of sufficient unity 
of the system. . , . 

There is " a necessary minimum." 

Content, or stress, or both, should differ for children from 
poor homes and children from rich homes. . . 

To serve as a satisfactory guide to the daily v/ork of 
the teacher, the course should : 

" Provide or suggest a body of knowledge and a range 
of activities, the latter (calling for) free exercise of (the 
teacher's) judgment and initiative. ... 

" Require the teachers to study the course itself, in 
order to comprehend it, and to study outside the course 
for help in administering it. . . . 

" Throw as many side-lights as possible upon the subjects. 

" Indicate sources of information and point out possible 
correlations. . . . 

" Suggest methods of approach and various means of 
illustration and . . . expression." 

CHARLES B. GILBERT. 
WHAT CHILDREN STUDY AND WHY — I9I3. 

VI 

" Education may be tentatively defined, then, as the 
process by mealis of which the individual acquires ex- 
periences that will function in rendering more efficient 
his future action. . . . The standard of social efficiency must 
be rigorously applied to the products of the school. The 
school must fit the individual, not for the life of the past, 
nor for a remote Utopian future, but for the immediate 



GUIDING PEINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 207 

future, the requirements of which can be predicted with 
reasonable certainty. If it fails to do this, the school 
cannot justify its existence." 

W. C. BAGLEY. 
THE EDUCATIVE PROCESS — 1905 

VII 

" The elements in it (a general education) that need inten- 
sive treatment are esthetic appreciation and production 
leading to mental stability and repose, and a physical edu- 
cation which will insure good health under the stressj of 
modern industrialism." 

" Education makes life mean more to the worker only 
when it has taught him to use his leisure in such a way 
that the spiritual element in his personality is developed." 

M. W. KEATINGE. 
STUDIES IN EDUCATION 1916. 

VIII 

" All little children have certain common needs ; but, begin- 
ning with adolescence, education is full of alternatives. 

" Aside from the simply instrumental studies — read- 
ing, writing, spelling, and figuring — the curriculum of the 
modern school would be built out of actual activities in four 
main fields >. . . science, industry, esthetics, civics." 

A. FLEXNER. 
A MODERN SCHOOL 1916 

IX 

" An ideal curriculum may be conceived to be a group 
of problems of vital interest to children and dealing with 
the fundamental aspects of knowledge, but at present we 
are able (in the Horace Mann School) only to approxi- 
mate such an ideal." 

H. C. PEARSON. 
CURRICULUM OF HORACE MANN SCHOOL — 1913. 



208 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

X 

'* Education is now to develop a type of wisdom that 
can grow only out of participation in the living experi- 
ences of men. ... It must, therefore, train thought and judg- 
ment in connection with actual life-situations. ... It is also 
to develop the good will, the spirit of service, the social 
valuations, sympathies, and attitudes of mind necessary 
for effective group-action where specialization has cre- 
ated endless interdependency. It has the function of 
training every citizen, man or woman, not for knowledge 
about citizenship, but for proficiency in citizenship ; . . . not 
for a mere knowledge of abstract science, but for proficiency 
in the use of ideas in the control of practical situations." 

" Play is nature's active mode of education." 

" One's horizon is narrow, and most of this world lies 
beyond, and stretches backward through history. Most is 
to be explored vicariously in imagination on the basis of 
the reports of others. For this, pupils need books that 
vividly reconstruct the experience of others." 

There are " two levels of educational experience " — 
the play- level and the work-level — " both of which are 
essential to fullness of growth, efficiency of action, and 
completeness of character. . . . Both are factors in develop- 
ing the individual's work powers. Play co.nes earlier and 
lays the foundations ; and may continue throughout life 
alongside or mingled with the work for maintaining 
the foundations." 

" Seen biologically, children's play was — and is — the 
most serious function of childhood." 

" The curriculum of the schools will aim at those ob- 
jectives that are not sufficiently attained as a result of 
the general undirected experience." 

" Each (child) is to be a producer to the extent that 
he consumes. . . . The purpose of occupational education is 
the removal through general enlightenment of the injuri- 
ous or destructive labor conditions. . . . Self-interest . . . 
is the steam which runs the whole machine. . . . (But) on 



GUIDING PlilNCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 209 

the one liand, there is a narrow, ignorant, materialistic self-in- 
terest; and on the other, an enlightened, humanistic self- 
interest, characterized by wide social vision, which recognizes 
that individual welfare at its highest comes only through 
general community welfare at its highest." 

" Education under the circumstances has, therefore, a 
double task to perform : ( i ) to act as a primary agency 
of social progress, lifting the occupational world to a 
higher and more desirable level ; (2) to do this by educat- 
ing the rising generation so that they will perform their 
occupational functions in a manner greatly superior to 
that of their fathers. The task is ... to look, not merely to 
the actual practices, but rather to those that ought to be." 

" Education must proceed by the active route. . . . The 
first problem — a most baffling one — is to draw up a 
curriculum that will with certainty forge an enduring and 
vitalized large-group consciousness . . . (and the only way 
to do this is) ... to think and feel and act with the group, 
as a part of it, as it performs its activities and strives to 
attain its ends." 

" The curriculum-discoverer will first be an analyst of 
human nature and of human affairs. . . . His first task , . . 
is to discover the total range of habits, skills, abilities, forms 
of thought, valuations, ambitions, etc. (needed) for the 
effective performance of vocational labors, for civic activi- 
ties, health activities, recreations, language; for parental, 
religious, and general social activities. 

" The program of analysis . , . will be as wide as life 
itself. ... It must be kept m mind in considering methods 
that knowledge is not the most fundamental thing aimed 
at ; but rather social attitudes and valuations." 

FRANKLIN BOBBITT.' 
THE CURRICULUM 1918. 

XI 

" His (the child's) world is a world of persons with 
their personal interests, rather than a realm of facts 
and laws." 
14 



210 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

" The child's life is an integral, a total one. He passes 
quickly and readily from one topic to another, as from 
one spot to another, but is not conscious of transition or 
break. . . . The things that occupy him are held together by 
the unity of the personal and social interests which his 
life carries along. . . . He goes to school, and various studies 
divide and fractionize the world for him. . . . Facts are torn 
away from their original place in experience and re- 
arranged with reference to some general principle. Classi- 
fication is not a matter of child experience ; things do not 
come to the individual pigeon-holed. . . . The studies as 
classified are the product of the science of the ages, not 
of the experience of the child." 

" What, then, is the problem? It is just to get rid of 
the prejudicial notion that there is some gap in kind — as 
distinct from degree — between the child's experience and 
the various forms of subject matter that make up the 
course of study. . . . The child and the curriculum are 
simply two limits which define a single process." 

" Guidance is not external imposition. It is freeing the 
life-process for its own most adequate fulfUlment" 

" The child is expected to ' develop ' this or that fact 
or truth out of his own mind. He is told to think things 
out or work things out for himself, without being supplied 
any of the environing conditions which are requisite to start 
and guide thought. . . . The problem of direction is thus the 
problem of selecting appropriate stimuli for instincts and 
impulses which it is desired to employ in the gaining of 
new experience. What new experiences are desirable 
and thus what stimuli are needed, it is impossible to tell 
. . . except, in a word, as the adult knowledge is drawn 
upon as revealing the possible career open to the child." 

" What concerns . . . (the) teacher is the ways in which 
a subject may become a part of experience. . . . He is con- 
cerned, not with the subject matter as such, but with the 
subject matter as a related factor in a total and growing 
experience. Thus to see it is to psychologize it." 

Subject matter must be " translated into life-terms." 



GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN CUREICULUM MAKING 211 

" There is no such thing as sheer self-activity possible 
— because all activity takes place in a medium, in a situa- 
tion, and with reference to its conditions. . . . Now, the value 
of the formulated wealth of knowledge that makes up the 
course of study is that it may enable the educator to de- 
termine the environment of the child, and thus by indirec- 
tion to direct." 

JOHN DEWEY. 
THE CHILD AND THE CURRICULUM 1902. 

XII 

" I believe, therefore, in the so-called expressive or 
constructive activities as the center of correlation." 

*' I believe, finally, that education must be conceived 
as a continuing reconstruction of experience." 

JOHN DEWEY. 
MY PEDAGOGIC CREED 1 QIC. 

XIII 

The Elementary School of the University of Missouri, 
under the direction of Prof. J. L. Meriam, has for " its 
fundamental idea, that education shall follow the natural 
development of the child. . . . He beUeves that . . , the life 
there should be like, only better than, the life of the 
children outside the school ; better because they are helped 
to know how to play and work correctly and to do it with 
other children." 

J. AND E. DEWEY. 
SCHOOLS OF TO-MORROW 1915. 

XIV 

" The first office of the social organ we call the school 
is to provide a simplified environment. It selects the 
features which are fairly fundamental and capable of 
being responded to by the young. Then it establishes a 
progressive order, using the factors first acquired as 
means of gaining insight into what is more compli- 



212 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

cated. In the second place, ... it establishes a purified 
medium of action. Selection aims not only at simplify- 
ing but at weeding out what is undesirable. ... In the 
third place, it is the office of the school environment 
to balance the various elements in the social environment 
and to see to it that each individual gets an opportunity 
to escape from the limitations of the social group in which 
he was born, and to come into living contact with a 
broader environment. . . . The school has the function 
also of coordinating within the disposition of each in- 
dividual the diverse influences of the various social en- 
vironments into which he enters. One code prevails in 
the family; another, on the street; a third, in the workshop 
or store; a fourth, in the religious association. As a per- 
son passes from one of these environments to another,, he 
is subjected to antagonistic pulls, and is in danger of 
being split into a being having different standards of judg- 
ment and emotion for different occasions. This danger 
imposes upon the school a steadying and integrating office. 

" The development within the young of the attitudes 
and dispositions necessary to the continuous and progres- 
sive life of a society cannot take place by direct convey- 
ance of beliefs, emotions, and knowledge. It takes place 
through the intermediary of the environment. 

" That education is not an affair of ' telling ' and 
being told, but an active and constructive process, is a 
principle almost as generally violated in practice as con- 
ceded in theory. Is not this deplorable situation due to 
the fact that the doctrine is itself merely told? It is 
preached ; it is lectured ; it is written about. But its en- 
actment into practice requires that the school environ- 
ment be equipped with agencies for doing, with tools and 
physical materials, to an extent rarely attained. It re- 
quires that methods of instructions and administration 
be modified to allow and to secure direct and continuous 
occupations with things. . . . Children proverbially live in 
the present ; that is not only a fact not to be evaded, but 
it is an excellence. The future just as future lacks urgency 



GUIDING PE.INCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 213 

and body. To get ready for something, one knows not 
what nor why, is to throw away the leverage that exists, 
and to seek for motive power in a vague chance. ... A 
curriculum which acknowledges the social responsibilities 
of education must present situations where problems are 
relevant to the problems of living together, and where 
observation and information are calculated to develop 
social insight and interest." 

JOHN DEWEY. 
DEMOCRACY AND EDUCATION 1916. 

XV 

" Since a school is a miniature community preparing 
for life in the larger community called society, the aims 
of a school should correspond with those of society." These 
may be stated as : 

1. Health. 

2. A combination of learning with " doing." 

3. The devlopment of tastes or of permanent interests. 

4. A tolerant, open mind, sound judgment, ability to 

execute plans, habits of service, energy, soci- 
ability, and tact. 

" The two most prominent controlling ideas in the 
selection of studies and of topics under them are the re- 
quirements of society (including, of course, its ideals as 
well as its present practices) and the nature of children." 

" The course of study (of the common school) is to a 
large degree an inherited misfit from the past, supported 
by a crude conception of utility, an outworn psychology, 
and a blind optimism," with two aims : 

1. To prepare for the distant future. 

2, To furnish good mental discipline. 

" The first reform needed is a changed attitude on the 
part of the teacher toward present time. . . . The next thing 
is to investigate what is going on about the school, for 
the purpose of finding live topics that may become a part 
of the regular curriculum. . 

" Our leading line of work (in Speyer School) for the 



214 THE PROJECT OF ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

first two years is the observation and reproduction of sur- 
rounding occupations; then follow primitive life and his- 
tory. . . . The nature of the children calls for a more active 
reproduction of surrounding occupations and of primitive 
habits than M^ords alone allow ; consequently materials of 
various sorts are continually used for that purpose, . . . 

" Is it not high time that those interested in the ele- 
mentary school agree as to what shall be left out, and 
make the list a very large one ? " 

FRANK M. MCMURRY. 
CONTROLLING IDEAS IN THE SCHOOL (SPEYER SCHOOL) 
In Teachers' College Record for 1902. No. 5. 

XVI 

Criteria for " judging curriculums and syllabi. 

" I. Bases for relation of subject matter to children's 

interest. 
" 2. Initiative evoked in teachers and children. 
" 3. Organization of subject matter. . . , Avoidance of 

isolated facts. 
" 4. Attention to relative values." 

FRANK M. MCMURRY. 
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STANDARDS — 1914. 

XVII 

" That social efficiency which is the aim of the School 
involves two basic principles of organization, namely : 

" I. The curriculum of the School should represent 
the needs and interests of present-day life in our own 
immediate environment and the world at large, the 
social factor. 

" 2, The work, at any given stage of the child's de- 
velopment, should be that which is adapted to the immedi- 
ate enrichment of his life as measured by his individual 
needs and capacities, the psychological factor. 

" Corollaries. A. In content offered, the school should 
be really democratic, providing material and means for the 



GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 215 

development of the concrete thinkers, the children who 
can manage things, and the children of action, those who 
can manage affairs and persons, as well as of the abstract 
thinkers, the children who manage ideas and think easily in 
terms of symbols. 

" B. In method of procedure, provision should be made 
for active participation in the processes of real life as this 
life maintains itself in our time and as it has developed in its 
evolution from simple beginnings. 

FREDERICK G. BONSER. 
SPEYER SCHOOL CURRICULUM — 1913. 

Having reviewed these principles, let us see what era- 
bodiments they have found. 

Here is a school teaching the three R's, with history, 
geography, physiology, drawing, and as many other 
subjects as the advocates of the " Knowledge is 
power " doctrine can force into the curriculum which 
they inherited. 

There is the school of the extremists who would fol- 
low the child's lead, a zigzag path, not free from thorns, 
decidedly uphill for the teacher, if not for the pupil, with 
its termination veiled in the mists of uncertainty. 

The curriculum maker of the third school believed 
that " some studies must be given to develop thought and 
others merely to furnish symbols or tools." ^ The 
divorce of tools from thought has resulted in a structure 
not merely disjointed but unorganized, and so unbalanced 
that it is likely to topple over. 

Many schools, especially those in cities, will give us 
a glimpse of shop, perhaps of garden. True these are 
" tacked on," as it were^ — a fifth w^heel to the wagon 
which carries the regular educational material. Their 
curriculum maker, having discovered that this type of 

* N. E. Superintendents' Association — Report of Committee, 1890. 



216 THE PHOJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

work may be made a mode of expression, has tried to 
use it, bolt he has grasped only half the truth. 

Here is a school where " the unity of the system " is 
being preserved — interpreted as meaning cramming for 
the coming examination, so that all may pass to the next 
grade withdut friction to the system, no matter how many 
bruises, sprains, or fractures are suffered by those sub- 
jected to the treatment. 

Look next upon this school where " minimal essen- 
tials " are emphasized. These are all carefully polished, 
locked up in books, and stored in little pigeon-hole periods 
of time, SO' that all the teacher has to do is to give the 
signal when the minute hand reaches the predestined dot 
upon the edge of the dial. Then out pop the forty books 
and up sit the forty children, to unlock these books with 
the key of effort and to dig out of them the " essentials " 
which seem to them so absolutely unessential. But these 
children pass the examination. What then? No 
one knows. 

We need spend but little time on the two companion 
pictures whic^h exemplify the theory that the education 
of the children of the poor and of the rich should differ, 
from their first day in school. Democracy claims that 
at least children should be free and equal — " equal " in 
the sense of equal opportunity, " free " — to live decently 
and to grow normally, in body, mind, and spirit. Any 
democracy is false to its ideals if it does not insist on the 
best possible schools for every child ; and in a true democ- 
racy the private elementary school has no place except 
for purposes of experimentation, or for the demonstration 
of new methods which can not be admitted wholesale to 
the public schools until their worth is clearly shown. 

This does not mean that there should be no special 
schools for the mentally or physically weak, or for a tem- 



GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 217 

porary segregation of other special classes of children. 
But it does mean that segregation should never be on the 
basis of the parents' wealth. There is no doubt that the 
children of the rich need to learn, by association with chil- 
dren in other walks of Hfe, the lessons of patience, moder- 
ation, and adaptation, as much as these other children 
need the example of refinement in personal cleanliness, 
manners, and speech, so that both have much to gain by 
education together. It i« equally true that the funda- 
mental bodies of knowledge, the life lessons, the basic 
experiences and their resulting development, which start 
the individual on his life journey, should be, on the whole, 
alike for all. Not that the individuals should thereby 
become alike, but that, in order that each may work 
with the other, in a sane and sympathetic way, for the 
good of all, they must have a common education, espe- 
cially along the lines of the fundamental necessities for a 
well-rounded life. 

At every step in the progress of this education, indi- 
vidual differences will assert themselves, and the school 
world will inevitably divide itself into the leaders and the 
led, living happily together. But the fact that this cleav- 
age will not be along economic lines and that all will recog- 
nize the division as natural and just, will give rich and 
poor that respect and sympathy for each other which is 
the world's hope for final peace between the classes and 
the masses. 

Here and there in this review we see proof of the 
turning of a new leaf in curriculum making, evidences 
that some of the guiding principles enunciated, or at least 
shadowed forth, by Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Herbart, and 
Froebel, and reaffirmed, clarified, strengthened, and added 
to, by our own leaders in educational philosophy, Dewey, 
Bonser, McMurry, and Bobbitt, are beginning to bear 
fruit, fruit which not only contains the seeds for coming 



218 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

generations to sow and harvest, but which is in itself 
edible and nourishing. 

The principles quoted on the foregoing pages them- 
selves show so rambling, circuitous, and uncertain a course 
of development that it is not tO' be wondered at that 
teachers and administrators, seeking to break the shackles 
of tradition and embody these principles in actual schools, 
have not made direct and, steady progress. Uncertainty 
marks every step; diverse aims and purposes conflict, in 
a most conscientious searching for the truth. The effect 
of this uncertainty upon the schools has been marked. 
Teachers and administrators are for the most part in the 
condition of the centipede: 

" The centipede was happy, quite, 
Until the toad for fun 

Said, ' Pray, which leg comes after which? ' 
This worked her mind to such a pitch 
She lay distracted in a ditch, 
Considering how to run." 

In the days of " general faculties," when the arith- 
metic we learned was supposed to enable us to reason 
better in selecting our food; when memorizing pages of 
poetry or history was supposed to help us remember that 
the square root of 144 is 12, or that there are three I's 
in " parallel " ; there may have been justification for 
laying down such principles of curriculum making as — 
" Select the studies and the means of training which de- 
velop the greatest amount of mental and moral power " — 
" The school is an artificial environment created for the 
purpose of preparing the mind to be afterwards educated 
by the environment of life." ^ 

The idea of wholesale transfer of ability from one 

^N. E. Superintendents' Association — Report of Committee, i8go, 
pp. 4, 3- 



GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 219 

field to another is held, even now, at least subconsciously, 
by a surprisingly large number of school men. But the 
newer psychology is attacking all but its ultimate sources 
and showing how small a part it really plays in education. 
In the words of Thorndike : 

" The leading traditional doctrines of the disciplinary 
value of studies . . . are ( i ) that what is hard and dis- 
tasteful to a pupil has disciplinary value for him ; (2) 
that any subject has as much disciplinary value as any 
other, both being equally well taught ; and (3) that what 
is otherwise indefensible has disciplinary value ! ^ 

" The real question is not, ' Does improvement of one 
function alter others?' but, * To what extent, and how, 
does it? ' 

" The answer which I shall try to defend is that a 
change in one function alters any other only so far as 
the two functions have as factors identical elements. . . . 
To take a concrete example, improvement in addition will 
alter one's ability in multiplication because addition is 
absolutely identical with a part of multiplication and be- 
cause certain other processes — e.g., eye movements and 
the inhibition of all save arithmetical impulses — are in 
part common to the two functions. , . . By identical ele- 
ments are meant mental processes which have the same 
cell action in the brain as their physical correlate." * 

In most educational programs, play is set off by itself 
as a means of physical development or of recreation. 
That it is a necessity for mental development is rarely 
recognized. Usually it is considered a " forbidden 
sweet," to be offered as a reward for work or drudgery 
accomplished. But the use of play to transform the dis- 
agreeable task into joyous self-expression is in accord 
with sound psychology. By utilizing the play spirit in 
planning school work for children, we harness many of 

® Thorndike — Educational Psychology, Vol. ii, p. 423. 
*Ihid., p. 358. 



220 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

nature's most fundamental impulses, and we minimize 
fatigue. Thomdike says : 

" Play, in any one of the common meanings of the 
word, is more original, less a product of training, than the 
occupations which are distinguished as work.^ 

" Work in the popular sense is distinguished from 
play or recreation less by the amount of positive action 
than by the amount of restriction. We are fatigued by 
what we do not do. . . . The little child who complained ' I 
am tired of not playing,' expressed admirably one fea- 
ture of fatigue." ^ 

Another element to be considered in planning for the 
time spent by children in school is the environment. 
Attempts to break down the rigid formality of the school- 
room are being made in various ways, for it seems almost 
impossible to form bonds which the child will use in his 
extra-school life unless these connections are made in 
an environment approximately like that of the world 
outside the school walls. Therefore the creation of a 
suitable environment is one of the first duties of the 
educator. For — 

" Learning is connecting; and teaching is the arrange- 
ment of situations which will lead to desirable bonds and 
make them satisfying." '^ 

" The laws of connection-forming or association or 
habit furnish education with two obvious general rules : 
(i) Put together what should go together and keep apart 
what should not go together. (2) Reward desirable con- 
nections and make undesirable connections produce discom- 
fort. Or, in combined form : Exercise and reward desirable 
connections ; prevent or punish undesirable connections." ® 

^Thorndike — Educational Psychology, Vol. i, p. 144. 
* Ibid., Vol. fii, p. 124. 
' Ibid., Vol. ii, p. 55. 
^ Ibid., Vol. ii, p. 20. 



GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 221 

" There is no arbitrary hocus pocus whereby man's 
nature acts in an unpredictable spasm when he is con- 
fronted with a new situation. His habits do not then 
retire to some convenient distance while some new and 
mysterious entities direct his behavior. On the contrary, 
nowhere are the bonds acquired with old situations more 
surely revealed in action than when anew situation appears."® 

" The original tendencies of certain states of affairs 
to satisfy or to annoy are among the most potent deter- 
minants of human behavior and of those changes in it 
which result from education. Satisfaction and discom- 
fort are, in fact, the great educative forces. . . . The origi- 
nal tendencies whereby this satisfies and that annoys 
are thus the ultimate selective forces in human behavior, 
providing the first rewards and punishments for educa- 
tion's use. From them, directly or indirectly, all later 
wants, interests, and ideals derive their motive power. 
There is no other means of arousing zeal for a given 
course of thought or conduct than by connecting satisfac- 
tion with it; the mind does not do something for nothing." ^° 

But were we to try to build a curriculum on psycho- 
logical principles alone, the story would be but half told. 
For each individual is but an infinitesimal organism in the 
universe, and, as Thorndike says: 

" Ultimately, indeed, every fact in human life is a case 
of the co-action of all the universe except the man in ques- 
tion, and the condition of the man in question at 
that instant." ^^ 

Then to the environment and to the scientific study of 
that environment in relation to mankind, or vice versa, 
must the curriculum maker go for further help. To the 
principles of psychology he must add the principles of 

' Thorndike — Educational Psychology, Vol. ii, p. 28. 
" Ibid., Vol. i, p. 295. 
" Ibid., Vol. i, p. 10. 



222 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

sociology, that science which puts the breath of Hfe and 
activity into groups of men and things, that science whose 
true mission it is to bring to light proper relations of man 
to man and of man to things. True, sociologists, like 
educators, have dwelt too long in the clouds of theory, 
but they are now beginning to see that sociology is really 
a concrete science, dealing with the practical relations of 
man to man and of man to his food, clothing, and shelter. 

How does sociology help the curriculum maker? If 
it be a passive, theoretic sociology, it will continue to con- 
tribute merely abstruse, infertile principles, incapable of 
functioning. If it become active, practical, it will not 
only largely determine the course, but will plainly point 
the way to method. It will say to the educator : " Schools 
must prepare the individual for life. Since this is their 
function, they must teach the facts of life, and that not 
through books alone, nor even chiefly, but through partici- 
pation in life experiences." Sociology further says that 
society demands results, which are to be measured by 
but one standard, efficiency. Every individual taken into 
the schools must become efficient. Nor may we stop here ; 
efficiency must be defined for the curriculum maker. Let 
us 'say, then, " By efficiency we mean that composite of 
qualities, abilities, or controls which makes the individual 
(i) physically, (2) intellectually, (3) emotionally, (4) 
morally, and therefore (5) socially fit. 

For physical fitness, modern society demands that 
schools not only preach health — which most of them have 
done — but that they teach health by establishing proper 
health habits, strengthening the desirable bonds that 
already exist in the individual and forming new ones in 
such situations as are not already bonded or are im- 
properly bonded. For instance, the child will learn to 
masticate food properly because he has frequent oppor- 
tunities to do so in school. He will know the composition 



GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAONG 223 

of wholesome meals, because he often helps in the prepa- 
ration of such meals in school. He will habitually de- 
velop muscle and red corpuscles, by playing often and 
playing long, both indoors and out, both in the organized 
game and in the free exercise of his instincts. He will 
establish habits of institutional cleanliness in helping day 
by day to keep his environment free from disease-breeding 
filth as well as from imsightly litter. In the doing, he 
will learn the whys and wherefores. He will see that help- 
ing to keep his neighbor healthy is as much a duty as is 
his own avoidance of weakness and disease. 

A gradual increase of responsibility and participa- 
tion will so deeply root these lessons that the child, help- 
ing to maintain the health of his own little community, 
will grow without effort, almost without consciousness, 
into the adult public health worker. As soon as the 
schools give proper education along these lines, the state 
can minimize the number and the duties of its health 
officials and its nurses. 

For intellectual fitness, modern sociology backs mod- 
ern psychology in demanding that the mind of the indi- 
vidual be developed to the maximum, so that he may 
contribute his full quota to the intellectual life of society. 
In more concrete terms, this means teaching the individ- 
ual so to develop his original mental equipment — his in- 
stincts of curiosity, manipulation, mental control, and 
multiform mental activity — by means of actual life situa- 
tions, his responses to which are always carefully guided, 
that he inevitably becomes a larger contributor to human 
welfare by reason of his wise choices, his sane judg- 
ments, his broad sympathies, his high ideals. 

This intellectual fitness begins with the individual's 
needs as the drives and ends with society's needs as the 
larger aim, Thorndike says : 



224 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

" Intellect is not dignified by denying its natural 
origin or by removing it beyond usefulness to the crudest 
and trivialest of the wants of living men." ^^ 

Since the wants of man, then, contribute so largely to 
•his intellectual development, they surely must play a large 
part in the curriculum. 

To bring about emotional fitness, the business of the 
school is (o) to kill off or redirect undesirable emotions; 
(&) to develop the desirable ones. Psychologists them- 
selves do not agree as to the true nature of emotions; they 
do not even make out identical lists of known emotions. 
Hence it seems unwise to attempt any discussion of the 
psychology of the emotions. However, the results of 
emotional responses are very apparent, especially among 
school children. These results, sometimes leading to 
physical as well as intellectual handicaps, prove the unde- 
sirability of overstimulation of the emotions. 

How can the curriculum make the individual morally 
fit? Through direct instruction? Let us hear Dewey 
on this point: 

" To attempt to get similar {i.e., satisfactory or effec- 
tive) results from lessons about morals, in a democratic 
society, is to rely upon sentimental magic." ^^ 

He summarizes what seems to be the consensus of 
opinion in the following words: 

" Discipline, natural development, culture, social effi- 
ciency, are moral traits — marks of a person who is a worthy 
member of that society which it is the business of educa- 
tion to further. There is an old saying to the effect that 
it is not enough for a man to be good; he must be good 
for something. The something for which a man must be 
good is capacity to live as a social member so that what 

" Thorndike — Educational Psychology, Vol. i, p. 310. 
"Dewey — Democracy and Education, p. 411. 



GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 225 

he gets from living with others balances with what he 
contributes. . . . Discipline, culture, social efficiency, 
personal refinement, improvement of character, are but 
phases of the growth of capacity nobly to share in such a 
balanced experience. And education is not a mere means 
to such a life. Education is such a life. To maintain 
capacity for such education is the essence of morals." " 

This, translated into terms of the curriculum, means 
that provision must be made for — 

" Indirect and vital moral education — the development 
of character through all the agencies, instrumentalities, 
and materials of school life." ^^ 

How may the currictilum make an individual socially 
fit? This question really has already been answered, for 
the physically, intellectually, and morally fit are the 
socially fit, and vice versa. Social fitness means a natural, 
easy adjustment to the social framework. Let us call that 
framework the institutions of society, which might be 
considered its limiting, confining agencies. 

For the purpose of clarifying thought, let us liken 
society to an elaborately mullioned stained-glass window, 
each section contributing to the beauty and unity of the 
whole, yet each section a unit, separate and distinct. 
Some of these sections will contain the chief figures, the 
centers of interest in the picture; others will be but sup- 
porting elements, enhancing such lights as need to be 
emphasized, toning down portions which in themselves 
are too glaring. So in a society some institutions con- 
stitute the high lights of the picture; others are second- 
ary, yet vitally necessary to the whole. 

When one section of the picture becomes loosened 
from the others, or weakened in structure, or broken, or 
lost from its mullion, the harmony of the whole is de- 

" Dewey — Democracy and Education, p. 417. 
"Dewey — Moral Principles in Education, p. 4. 
15 



226 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

stroyed. It is the business of each institution to prevent 
this calamity. On the shoulders oi what individuals does 
the responsibility lie? Some might say on those of the 
authorities or high officials of the institution. Others 
might hold all the adult members of the institution re- 
sponsible. In truth, both are necessary for holding their 
own institution together, and for holding it in its proper 
relation to the others. 

To consider the methods by which this end may be 
attained, their successes and failures, the evidence of 
their weaknesses and strengths, would carry this dis- 
cussion too far afield. The point which is pertinent to 
the problem now in hand is that education is not so much 
concerned with the present composition of the social pic- 
ture, which is comparatively fixed, as with the picture 
of the near future, when the boys and girls of our schools 
shall have become adults. The distribution of light and 
shade, the texture and rhythm of line, the warmth and 
harmony of color, in this picture which is to be, will be 
determined largely by the schools of to-day and to-mor- 
row. Surely the successes and failures of educational 
yesterdays, as well as those of to-day, must be thought- 
fully considered, if the picture of the future is to 
show improvement. 

Of all the social institutions, the school stands out 
as most important here, for it not only contains the pig- 
ments of the coming social picture but is training many 
of the artists destined, let us hope, to mix these paints, as 
did Turner, " with brains." The school teacher of to-day 
may be considered the master artist who, inspired by the 
vision of the wonderful mullioned window which may be, 
will so use the content and method of the curriculum as to 
prepare youth to be the better artists of a larger future. 

The work of preparation takes on a more compli- 
cated aspect when we realize that the embryo artists are 



GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN CURRICULUM MAKING 227 

still members of the old society and must live in it without 
too greatly disturbing its harmony or their own peace. 
Moreover, they are under obligation, with increasing age, 
to contribute to the improvement of the present picture. 
This repair work must go on side by side with the creation, 
of the new picture, or, rather, the new picture must grow 
out of the old. Fortunate, indeed, is that society where 
the change is purely evolutionary, one picture fading intO' 
the other like a dissolving view. 

Now how does the school function in making the 
individual socially fit? So far as the curriculum, the 
educating instrument, embodies experiences which are 
social in that they are common to all members of society, 
and so far as the teacher selects methods, or modes of 
dealing with this social material, which run parallel with 
those of life outside the school, just so far is the curricu- 
lum defined in terms of social efficiency. 

Having considered in some detail the psychological 
and the sociological principles which should guide the 
curriculum-maker, let us summarize their counsel in the 
form of — 

Ten Working Principles for Teaching 

I 

All of the native equipment of the child should 
be utilized. 

II 

Nature's motive power, the play spirit, should furnish 
the drives for children's activities. 

Ill 

Through play the child should be led to habits of 
happy, useful work. 



228 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

IV 

A curriculum should be founded not entirely on the 
traditions of the past, but also on the needs of the present 
and the future. 

V 

The necessities common to children in all localities 
should determine the universal framework of the cur- 
riculum, details being fixed by the varying conditions 
of environment. 

VI 

The school environment should be so planned as to 
duplicate total life experiences, rather than fragmentary 
or partial experiences. 

VII 

The interest aroused by such an environment should 
then be allowed to direct thought and organize the life of 
the school. 

VIII 

The so-called subjects of the curriculum — reading, 
writing, arithmetic, etc. — should be taught as inter-related 
phases of life, the psychological rather than the logical 
order being followed in this teaching. 

IX 

Abundant opportunity should be provided for such 
doing as shall stimulate thinking, and thus lead to further 
doing and thinking. 

X 

Group consciousness and group sympathies should 
be developed, not only through group activities in the 
life of the grade but through frequent cooperation 
between grades. 



SECTION IV 
THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 

A. ANALYSIS OF ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER THE PROPOSED 
CURRICULUM 

In the diagram below, the numbers indicate the pages 
on which each subject begins in each grade, enabhng the 
reader to trace one subject easily and quickly through the 
three grades, and to see at a glance what subjects are 
treated in each grade. 















Habits, atti- 








Facts taught 




Skills begun 


tudes, appreci- 
ations, ideals 






In the major projects 




















3 >. 






In the 
intro- 
ductory 
project 


■a 














■o^ 


Very little organization has 


O 















C (-. 


been attempted in the lists 










rt 








^ S 


under these headings, owing 




c 















-dO 


to the frequent overlapping 




Playing 
Fair 




< 




4 











of classes of skills, of habits, 
of attitudes, of apprecia- 




hJ 




1 


"3 




^ 






tions, and of ideals. 






'0 


■0 


«J 


>. 


3 


"bi 




a! S 









W 




Ph 


Ph 


S 


W 


< 


Z 




I 


230 


239 


240 


243 


244 


244 


24s 


245 





234.235; 247 


237. 238; 249 


II 


230, 231 


252 


253 


255 


256 


257 


257 


258 





234, 236; 262 


237, 238; 265 


ill 


230, 233 


266 


268 


270 


271 


271 


272 


273 


275 


234. 236; 276 


237. 238; 278 



B. COMPARISON OF ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER DIFFERENT 
CURRICULUMS 

It would be illuminating to compare the outcomes of 
this curriculum with those of the most progressive courses 
of study now in use; for instance, that published by the 
State of Minnesota in 1916 and revised in 1918, and those 

229 



230 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

issued by the Montana State Department of Public In- 
struction in 1919 for rural schools and in 1920 for city- 
elementary schools. 

But a true comparison is not within the writer's power, 
since she has not herself lived through these courses, and 
a statement of actual results by those who have obtained 
them is not available. A course of study gives the seed 
to be sown ; outcomes are the harvest of the year's growth. 
Moreover, the fundamental differences of organization 
between the curriculum here proposed and those of Min- 
nesota and Montana would preclude a detailed compari- 
son, grade by grade, even if the outcomes were available. 

I. THE INTRODUCTORY PROJECT — PLAYING FAIR 
I. Facts Taught 

(a) IN THE THREE GRADES 

Reasons why states and counties hold fairs 
The kinds of things exhibited and done at fairs 
The way fairs are arranged for and managed 

(b) IN THE FIRST GRADE 

Animals 

Domestic — cow, pig, sheep, horse, hen, duck 
Usefulness 
Habits 
Care of 
Wild — elephant, tiger, bear, giraffe, lion 
Appearance 
Homes 
Animal stories, e.g., " The friendly cow," " The little 
red hen " 
Fall flowers 
Recognition 
Proper treatment 

Collection of seeds for next year's planting 
Flower stories — " Cly tie's garden," " Mary, Mary, quite 
contrary " 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 231 

Fall vegetables and fruit — tomatoes, corn, beans, beets, celery, 
pumpkins, apples, pears, peaches, peanuts 

Parts used 

Cleanliness in preparing for table or preserving 

How grown 

How saved for future use 
Peanut stand 

The number lo — ^peanuts counted out for each bag 

The number 5 — 5 cents = i nickel, price per bag 

How peanuts grow 
Side show 

Many stories heard, in order that the children might 
choose the best for dramatization 

" Three little pigs " and " Simple Simon " (S sound taught 
from this jingle) chosen by vote 
Merry-go-round 

Term and game Carrousel 
Tickets for merry-go-round and side show 

Terms ohlong, longer than wide 
Signs or labels — posters by courtesy — for first grade's 
contributions to fair 

Terms — animals, flowers, vegetables, fruits, etc. 

(c) IN THE SECOND GRADE 

Kinds of fences — wood, iron, stone 
Purpose — protection 
The circle — form of fair enclosure 

Measuring the circumference with a string 

12 yards to go around 18 children in grade 

12 yds. = 36 ft 12 X 3 = 36 

2 ft. to be made by each child 

2 ft. = 24 inches 2 X 12 = 24 

9 inches, height of fence 
Means of supporting fence 

Selection of material and ways of making things 
must depend on the purpose 



232 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Race track 

A circle about 2^ inches in diameter 

Circumference 84 inches (measured as before) 

4 in. — width of track 
2 in. — depth of track 

Grand stand 

" Tiers of seats " taught 

Reason for slant 
Reason for curved shape 
Need for firm foundation 
Race horses, sulkies 

Characteristics of racing horses 
Appearance of sulkies 

Why used for racing 
Racing games 

Two abreast — 2 X 9 = 18 
Three abreast — 3 X 6 = 18 
Relay races 

Sulky races — children divided into groups of three 
Ferris wheel — another circle 

Samples submitted and judgments made 

Why people are not spilled out of the little carriages 

Introduction to the force of gravity 
Spelling, writing, and memorizing the " Ferris wheel 
song " 
Side show — ^a dramatization 

Reading a number of stories to find an appropriate one — 

" The little pig's house " 
Kinds of animal homes 
Tickets for races, wheel, and side show 
Oblongs, three different sizes 
Words — tickets, cents, September, grand stand, races, Ferris 

wheel, side show; cts. = cents 
Prices of tickets 

5 cents = I nickel^i -l-i-fi-j-i + i = 5;5Xi = 5 
2 nickels = i dime — 5 + 5 = 10 

15 cents— 5 + 5 + 5 = 15 ; 3 X 5 = 15 ; 10 + 5 = 15 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 233 

Posters 

Oblongs, 9 in. X 12 in. 

Margins — ^ inch, top and sides ; i inch, bottom 
Terms — Ferris wheel, side show, races, etc. 

(d) IN THE THIRD GRADE 

Plans 

Initial steps of map or plan making 

Necessity for plans, especially in laying out cooperative 

work 
Location of the various features — paths, buildings, race- 
tracks, etc. 
Terms — paths, main building, ticket-booth, fence, main 
entrance, farm animals, chicken house, side shows, race 
track, grand stand 
Committees for different pieces of work 
Tickets 

Terms — oblong, rectangle 
Training School Fair 

Friday, October — , ipi8 
Admission — 2^ cts. 
Standards for good ticket selling 
Accuracy in making change 
Quickness — ability to handle large crowds 
Pieces of money — dollar, half, quarter, dime, nickel, 
penny 
25 cts. = quarter. 5 X 5 = 25 ; 2 X 10 + 5 = 25 ; 
25 pennies; 2 X 25 — 50 cts.; 4 X 25 = 100 cts.; 
2 X 50 = 100 cts. = I dollar = $1.00 
Change from 50 cents ; from i dollar 
Automobiles and aeroplanes 

Structure noticed and studied in preparation for the 

making 
Pictures brought or made, for posters 
Both names learned, to put on posters 



234 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Buildings and tents 
Free construction 

Review of paper and cardboard construction of buildings 
Proportionate size 

Of building to its use 

Of one building to the others 
Placing of windows 
Preserved food exhibit 

Fall fruits and vegetables studied to this end 

Names of all varieties met 

Time for planting and for gathering 
Methods of preserving for winter use 

Drying, canning, preserving, pickling 
Requisites for preserving 

Degree of heat necessary for each mode 

Amount of sugar 

" Airtightness " 

Prevention of mold 
Precautions against and remedies for accidents 

Burning fruit or fingers 

Cutting fingers 

Setting kitchen afire 
Arrangements for races 
Types of races 

rj. I J Usual or conventional 1 [ Physical 

Inte^grade J 1 Original or home-made J [ Mental 

Side show 
A story selected for dramatization after a careful try- 
out of a number suggested by the children 

2. Skills Begun 
(a) in the three grades 

Relating experiences simply and clearly 
Measuring and ruling — oblongs for tickets 
Cutting cardboard for tickets 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 235 

Printing tickets 

Racing — in preparation for inter-grade contests 

(b) IN THE FIRST GRADE 

Drawing — freehand and tracing 

Animal and flower forms, vegetables and fruits 
Coloring (crayola) 

Same forms as above 
Cutting out 

Same forms as above 

" Props " for the cardboard animals 
Pasting 

Mounting pictures of flowers 

Attaching " props " to the animals 
Modeling in clay and plasticene 

Animals, vegetables, fruits, peanuts, Clytie 
Arranging flowers — living specimens and mounted pic- 
tures 
Decorating room in other ways 
Representing on sand table Clytie's garden, her home, and 

herself before and after her transformation 
Varying of a game — Carrousel 

Singing, humming a tune, selling and collecting tickets 
Making paper bags for peanuts 
Printing " Peanuts — 5 cents " on bags 
Making a peanut call 

Writing large signs — " Animals," " Flowers," " Vege- 
tables," etc. 
Reading 

Clytie's garden (teacher's simple version^see Appen- 
dix, page 281) 

Simple Simon 

Peanut call (composed by children) 
Hearing and retelling stories 
Memorizing jingles 
Making sentences 
Dramatizing a story and a jingle 



236 THE PEOJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

(c) IN THE SECOND GRADE 

Measuring circle with a string; measuring string with 
ruler 

Making samples of fences 

Measuring and cutting — cardboard for fence chosen 

poster to desired size 

Handling ruler and yardstick 

Clay work — modeling race-track (a flat circular strip) 
modeling grand stand (tier of steps) 
modeling horses (some, of plasticene) 

Paper construction — sulkies 

carriages for Ferris wheel 

Reading — to find a story for dramatization as a side show 

Dramatization — modulation of voice 
gestures 

Writing large, without lines (on posters) 

Cutting down sentences to phrase form 

Spelling and writing words used 

Making plain figures 

Making pictures, in some cases 

Making a rhyme — rhythm, rhyme, appropriate words 

Making music for the rhyme 

Making change (Austrian method) 

(d) IN THE THIRD GRADE 

Drawing — plan or map 

automobiles and aeroplanes 
Making money, using penny, nickel, quarter, dollar, as 

models 
Addition } involving 25 cts. — selling tickets and mak- 
Subtraction ) ing change 

25 
25 

25 
25 
$1.00 (introduction to carrying) 



THE OUTCOMES OP CURRICULUMS 237 

Construction of aeroplanes and automobiles, using wood, 

paper, cloth, cardboard, clay 
Paper cutting and folding — building tents 
Sewing — tents 
Preserving food 

Gathering fruits from. the garden 

Picking beets and tomatoes 

Canning and " preserving " peaches 

Drying corn, beans, and apples 

Washing fruit and hands, in preparation 

Peeling economically 

Heating to proper temperature 

Managing the fire 
Tying up cut and burned fingers 
Reading — to find story for dramatization 
Dramatizing 

Spelling and writing terms, paths, main building, etc. 
Making automobile and aeroplane posters 

Reducing long sentences to equivalent phrases 
Writing — letter to Dr. Savitz 

Good, pointed advertisements (see Appendix, 
P- 307) 

3. Habits, Attitudes, AppREaATioNs, Ideals 

(a) IN THE THREE GRADES 

Use of other methods of expression than verbal recital — 

concrete representation of Fair activities 
Organization of ideas — (How play Fair?) 
Decision by voting 
Choosing those who excel as leaders 

Weighing of values, e.g., choosing a story for dramatiza- 
tion 
Establishing standards of excellence 

e.g., choosing of work good enough for exhibition 
Sharing pleasures with others 

e.g., playing Fair for mother 



238 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Courteous deference to authority 

e.g., note to Principal asking a location for the Fair 
Cooperation 

e.g., contribution of effort by each grade 
Choosing activities within one's ability 
Appreciation of poetry and of music, developed — 

(a) by hearing them; (b) by making them 

(b) IN THE FIRST GRADE 

Sympathy for all animals 

Love for animals helpful to man 

Esthetic arrangement and enjoyment of flowers 

Appreciation of stories and jingles concerning animals 

and flowers, vegetables and fruits 
Creative work 

e.g., the peanut call 

(c) IN" THE SECOND GRADE 

Establishing standards for selection 
e.g., for the fence — cheapness, sufficient firmness to en- 
dure for time of fair, possibihty of execution by all 
for the grand stand — safety 
Selection of fittest for a certain piece of group work — 
s.g~, making the race-track 

Modification of this rule in case an individual needs 
the training involved in the work 
Concise expression of thought 
Accuracy in selling tickets, in writing or printing, etc. 
Fair — i.e., reasonable or just — prices for amusements 

(d) IN THE THIRD GRADE 

Realization of the necessity for planning work 
Ability to handle people 

Physically — in admitting crowds to the fair 
Psychologically — in working with first and second 
grades in the planning and preparation of the Fair, 
appointment of committees, etc. 
Initiative in planning and construction 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 239 

Judgment in choosing materials for construction 
Standards — purpose 
durability- 
appearance 
Thrift — buying food when plentiful and preserving for 
later use 
peeling and cutting economically 
Regard for the attractive appearance of food 
" Safety first " in using gas stove 

Readiness in emergencies — handling cuts and burns 
Rapidity of movement and thought — physical and mental 

races 
Concise expression of thought 
Accuracy in selling tickets, in writing or printing, etc. 

II. THE MAJOR PROJECTS 

I. First Grade Major Project — Flaying Families 
(a) FACTS taught 

Social Life and Hygiene 

Organization of families 

Mother and father essential 

Other members varying 

Names of members of families 
Animal families — bird, bear, goat, pig, cow 
Club organization — president, assistants, reports of meet- 
ings 
Duties of each member of the family; of one family to 

others 
Care of the head 

Frequent brushing and combing 

Frequent washing with hot water and ivory soap 
Doll families — ^members to parallel those of first-grade 

families 
Dressing the doll families 

General topic of appropriate dressing 
Care of clothing 



240 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Paying bills 

Going to housekeeping 

Good taste in furniture 

Good taste in pictures, curtains, rugs, etc. 
Care of homes — light, ventilation 
Proper use of each room 

Care of each 

Entertaining 
Daily duties and activities 

Rising (bathing) 

Meals (table etiquette) 

Being on time at business 

Being neat and " well groomed " for business and for 
home life 

Work activities of different kinds acted out 
Weekly customs of each family 

Each day of the week dramatized (variations in differ- 
ent families) 
Special holidays — ways of celebrating 
Family trips — to museum., park, etc. 
Family reunion (used finally as a unit in the pageant) 

Industrial Arts (Content Side) 
[For much of the " doing" side, see skills, page 247] 

Making of badges for clubs 
Kinds 

Materials to be used 
Forms 
Making of families 
Kinds possible 

Selection of stocking type of doll 
Stockings 

Parts — foot (toe, heel) ; leg 
Kinds — cotton, wool, silk 
How to cut without waste 
Planning directions 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 241 

Dressing of doll families 

Names of garments needed — union suits, dresses, shirts, 
trousers, petticoats, capes, coats, hats, caps, 
shoes, stockings 
Names of parts of each garment 
Union suits 
Need for 

Materials — cotton, wool, silk, silk and wool 
Patterns — need, use 
Other garments 

Selection of styles from fashion book 
Essentials of good taste — color, line, decoration, appro- 
priateness 
Materials for garments 

Simple study of cotton, linen, wool, silk 
Recognition of each 

Sand-table work — " Baa, baa, black sheep," " Little Boy 
Blue," " Mary had a little lamb " 
Hats and caps 

Materials: — straw, raffia, silk, velvet, crinoline, stock- 
inette 
Sources of each 
Recognition of each 
Christmas preparations 
Study of evergreens 
Christmas tree decorations 

Sand table — " 'Twas the night before Christmas " 
Making of homes 

Kinds of homes possible 

Selection of the kind within children's ability to make 

Arrangement of boxes decided 

Doors and windows 

Need for 
Tool study — brace-and-bit, hammer, saw 
16 



242 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Inside finish 

Window and door frames planned for 

Surbases 

Sandpapering, need for 

Varnishing 

yVall papering 

All-over pattern discouraged 
Plain paper encouraged 
Borders allowed 
Criteria for judging 

Making the room seem larger 
Making the room seem more cheerful 
Pleasing the greatest number 
Outside finish 

Kinds^ — brick, cement, pebble-dash, frame 
Source of each material used 
Manufacture of each 
Painting of all wood surfaces 
Roofs — waterproof material 
Tar paper 
Tin 

Shingles 
Piazzas and porches 
Where needed 
How made 
Furnishing of homes 
Sanitary fixtures 
Need for 
How made 
Furniture for each room 
Names of pieces needed 
Trip to the furniture store downtown 
Selection of wood 
Plans 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 243 

Rugs 

Rooms to be measured to decide the size of rugs 

Decision to buy because no time to make 

How to select from the store 
Curtains, bureau scarfs, and sideboard coverings 

Usefulness and beauty 

Selection of material — kind and quantity 

Plans for making 
Pictures 

Selection — suitability to room 

Frames — suitability to picture 
Gardens (school garden work) 

Family plots — plan for planting (different vegetables 

and flowers in each) 
How shall plot be cared for? 

Fine Arts 

Primary colors (in badges) 

Color harmonies 
Geometric forms 

Circle 

Oblong 

Greek cross 
Series of lessons on making fashion book 
Designing embroideries for trimming clothes (cut paper) 
Large family poster for hall — a series of lessons 
Tools — drawn on board and modeled in plasticene for 

sand-table tool house 
Designing Christmas post cards, valentines, cards for all 

holidays 
Designing and making tree decorations 
Making of wall paper 

Tinting with water color 

Borders for all rooms — stick printing 

Bathroom and kitchen papers — stick printing 



244 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Picture study throughout the year — art appreciation 
Story illustrations 

Physical Education 

Placing boxes, sandpapering, nailing, sawing, and many 
other muscular exercises involved in the project 

Various other well-known children's games, such as Lon- 
don Bridge 

Ring games 

Jack-in-the-box games 

Needle and thread games (school-made) 

Shoe and stocking games (school-made) 

Garden activities 

Free play 

Pantomime 

Races 

Marionette dances 

Christmas Brownies dance (school-made) 

Wood Brownie dance (school-made) 

Playing soldier 

" Marching " (Stevenson) 

No formal drill work 

Music 

" This is the happy family " 

Lullabies 

Whole repertoire of Mother Goose songs 

Christmas songs 

Songs for all other holidays and festive occasions 

Songs of all the seasons 

Imitations — bird calls, train calls, whistles, horns, etc. 

Names of the kindergarten band instruments — blocks, 

triangles, tambourines, drum, cymbals, piano 
Singing in the general assembly 
Appreciation — Victrola (Mother Goose, lullabies, etc.) 



THE OUTCOMES OF CUREICULUMS 



245 



English 



Reading 
The Family Book (school- 
made) 

Clytie's garden 

Simple Simon 

Peanuts 

Personnel of the families 

Family clubs 

Series on making the 
dolls 
Series on body 
Tinting the skin 
Putting on hair 
Series on features 
(Christmas work) 

A letter from second 
grade 

An answer to this letter 

Series on dressing the 
families 

Baa, baa, black sheep 

Little Boy Blue 

Mary had a little lamb 

A conversation 

Advertisements of the 
Model Store 

Series on the care of 
clothes 

Series on housebuilding 

Series on furnishing 

Posters and letters 
Well-known readers 

Free and Treadwell 

Story Hour Readers 

Young and Field 

Horace Mann Readers 



Language 

Vocabulary additions 
Big — large 
Little — small 
Middle-sized 
Names of parts of body 
Names of articles of 

clothing 
Names of parts of each 

garment 
Names of parts of a 

house 
Names of pieces of fur- 
niture 

Methods of communica- 
tion 
Telling 
Writing 
Drawing 
Acting 

Oral reports of club'action 

Sentence building _ 
In giving directions 
In descriptions 

Rhyme making 

Dramatization 

Framing "orders" for the 
salesman 

Note writing 

Answer to a note _ 

Making a conversation be- 
tween tworpeople 

Making out the dolls' bills 

Development of all lessons 
(oral composition) 

Systematic phonetic work 

Systematic word study 

Systematic drills 

Writing, whenever occa- 
sion demanded; this al- 
ways at board or on 
large sheets of paper 



Stories and Poems 

Simple Simon 

The three bears 

The three goats Gniff 

There was an old woman 
who lived in a shoe 

Old Mother Hubbard 

Baa, baa.lblack sheep 

Little Boy Blue 

Mary had a little lamb 

Goody Two-shoes 

Cinderella 

'Twas the night before 
Christmas 

The httle fir tree 

This is the house that Jack 
built 

This is the house that 
the Healys own (school- 
made) 

The carpenter song (school- 
made) 

The Tool Family (school- 
made) 

The wood brownies (school- 
made) 

To market, to market 

One, two, three, four, five 

Little Jack Homer 

I saw three ships come 
saiUng 

"To bed, to bed," says 
Sleepy Head 

Stevenson's poems: 
e.g., Marching 



Arithmetic 



Counting up to 32 (the number in the school) 
Counting boys, counting girls 
Family groups varying in nimiber — 3, 5, 8, 4, etc. 
Two— mother and father 

(i) and (i) are 2 

big sister and Uttle sister 

(i) and (i) are 2 

big brother and little brother 
(i) and (i) are 2 



246 THE PEOJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Three— mother, father, and baby bear 

(i) and (i) and (i) are 3 
mother, father, and baby goat 
(i) and (i) and (i) are 3 
Four— brothers and sisters 

(2) and (2) are 4 
Five— the number of families in school 
Six— mother, father, brothers, sisters 

(i) and (i) and (2) and (2) are 6 
Seven— age of a few children 
Ages- 5, 6, 7 

Sizes — smaller than, larger than, equal to 
Thread length — about 8 inches 
Arms and hands and legs and eyes and feet and ears 

(2) and (2) and (2) and (2) and (2) and (2) are 12 
Coimting by 2 's up to 12 
6 times 2 are 12— the nimiber of beads needed for eyes of 

one family 
Rulers— 12 inches, inches and half inches being marked on 

them 
About 4 inches, 3 inches, 2 inches— length of dolls from shoul- 
der to knee 
5 cents, or a nickel, for each ruler 

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 
Number needing tmion suits— 32 
Number of men needing shirts, trousers, coats— 14 
Nvmiber of women needing dresses, petticoats, capes— 18 
Number of people needing shoes, stockings — 32 
Pairs— shoes, stockings 

"Odd" and "even" nimibers- numbering houses on streets 
I I cent for i inch, 2 cents for 2 inches, etc. 
1 2 cents for i inch, 4 cents for 2 inches, 6 cents for 3 inches, etc. 
Pajdng for two things in a store— e.g., 4 cts. for a feather 

5 cts. for a ribbon 

9 cts. 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 247 

Bills— making, paying 

6 boxes— a puzzle to arrange them in 6 different ways, to 

form rooms in a house (See pictures of Good Children 

Street, facing pp. 54 and 55) 
Number of windows needed in each house; niimber of doors 
Measuring for doors, windows, surbases, so as to order the 

lumber 
Drawing straight lines on wood, using a ruler 
$— introduced through working out the cost of houses 

e.g. $6 for lumber 
$4 for cement 
$10 
Buying of rugs, making change— ^.g., $3 for the rug, and 

$5 is given; how much change? (Austrian method) 
Measuring windows for curtains 
Buying curtain material 
Measuring rows in garden, planting the seed 
Counting cups, plates, napkins for Mothers' Party 
Estimate of amounts in preparing and serving 

(b) SKILLS BEGUN 

C estimating, and testing results with rulers 
Measuring < using rulers to measure each other, dolls, cloth, 

( wood 
Adding 
Subtracting 
Multiplying 

Making change (in exceptional cases) 
Checking up — calculations, change, measurements 
Listening to stories well enough to reproduce them 
Learning stories well enough to " play " them 
Reading — sentences, phrases, words, stories, advertise- 
ments, letters 
Recognition of sounds — word building 
Sentence building 
Story building 
Dramatizing 
Rhyme building, memorizing jingles 



248 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Framing directions for work 

Interpreting directions 

Writing — words, figures, sentences, letters 

Passing materials quickly and economically- 
Sorting — colors, sizes, etc. 

Cutting — stockings, badges, patterns, garments, cardboard, 
etc. 

Use of other tools — brace-and-bit, saw, hammer 

Coloring — pictures, badges, wall paper, etc. 

Sewing — dolls (features, hair), clothes, curtains, scarfs 

Making and using patterns 

Dyeing — dolls' skins 

Making and trimming hats 

Tying bows and knots 

Buttoning 

Designing — post cards, costumes, wall paper 

Illustrating — ^^stories, ideas 
Use of Crayola 

Framing pictures 

Arranging — pictures, colors, furniture 

Spacing — in all types of work 

Molding — plasticene, clay 

Pasting without soiling hands, clothes, or paper 

Sandpapering — floors, inside trim, furniture 

Painting — pictures, bricks, houses, porches 

Hoeing, raking, marking rows, planting seeds 

Sweeping, dusting 

Imitations of a week's activities — all kinds of work rep- 
resented 

Sand-table skills 

Paper construction — houses, barns, fences, Christmas tree 
ornaments 

Buying — rulers, materials, shoes, stockings, hat trim- 
mings, hats 

Arrangement of tea set on table 

Table etiquette 

Arranging flowers 

Packing lunches 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 249 

Physical alertness — dances, games 

Good posture 

Singing 

Handling ideas and suggestions along all lines, e.g., Uncle 

Sam needs the cotton for his soldiers; how shall 

we stuff our dolls? 
Making judgments along all lines, e.g., sizes and best fits 

of shoes, hats, etc. 
Expressing the same ideas in different ways, e.g., saying, 

writing, drawing, modeling, dramatizing 
Initiating new methods or ideas throughout the work, e.g., 

dipping dolls in tintex to give them a flesh color 
Constructive criticism — of child's own work and that of 

others 
" I know how I can do that better " 
" Let's take Mary's border because the blocks are so 

straight " 
A review of all skills in preparing for a family reunion 

(c) HABITS, ATTITUDES, APPRECIATIONS, IDEALS 

Economy and thrift — in making instead of buying ready- 
made (dolls) 
in using materials (cutting stock- 
ing to make doll) 
in using one material instead of an- 
other (corn silk for cotton) 
in watching the salesman weigh and 

count 
in checking up one's change 
in prompt sending and paying of bills 
in proper care of clothing and of 
tools 
Initiative — in determining work for each club 
in making and dressing of dolls 
in arranging boxes to form rooms of houses 
in arranging houses on Good Children Street 
in arranging furniture in houses 
in making piazzas and porches 



250 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Standards established — for selecting play activities 

for family behavior — as individ- 
uals and as group 
for sewing dolls (well enough to 
hold corn silk filling; strongly 
enough to keep legs and arms 
from falling off) 
for artistic house construction, 
coloring, arrangement on street 
for inside finish of houses 
for proper furnishing of rooms 
for good housekeeping, e.g., care 
of bathroom, proper ventila- 
tion, preparing and serving 
lunches 
for personal cleanliness 
for receiving and entertaining 

guests 
for politeness (in passing mate- 
rials, asking and receiving help) 
in recognition of letters (answers 

to second and third grades) 
in acknowledging favors done 
(dolly's " Thank you " note for 
clothes) 
for behavior on trips 
for common sense and good taste 

(a) in dress — appropriateness 
of dress to occasion and weather; 

(b) in furnishings (furniture, 
rugs, curtains, pictures) 

for neatness — in manipulating 
paste, paints, crayola ; in keep- 
ing tools, etc., in their proper 
places 

for regularity in daily life — early 
rising ; weekly routine of duties 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 251 

Standards established — for esthetics of daily life — reading 

stories, singing, instrumental 
music 
for proper use of leisure — reading 
stories, talking together po- 
litely, playing games 
for accuracy — of information 
(ages) ; of execution (results of 
inaccurate measurements ; re- 
sults of failure to follow line in 
sawing) 
Judgments — after weighing values 
e.g., in the tryouts for family life 

in the recognition of group activity (clubs) as best 
method of >vork toward a common end 
Cooperation 

in fitting boxes together to make houses 
responsibility of each for all — club work, family life, 
duty of each family to contribute to the Christmas 
party 
helping one another — a duty owing to differences in 

ability 
differentiation of duties 
Sympathy and love for animals 
stories 

care of pets in schoolroom 
Realization of individual limitations, e.g., inability to 

make shoes 
Patience in learning to do difficult things 
boys learning to sew 
girls learning to saw 
Motive changing attitude toward disagreeable tasks, e.g., 

boys proud to " sew " the men of the family 
Habits of self-criticism and self-drill 
Appreciation 

of rhythm — the kindergarten band music, as well as 
their own singing and dancing 



252 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Appreciation 

of a longer poem — " 'Twas the night before Christmas " 

of the Christmas spirit 

of the value of tools 

of the beauty of pictures 

of a puppet show 
Realization that beautiful stories and poems may center 

around prosy, homely subjects 
Principle of apportionment — giving of sets of furniture 
Reward of special effort — choosing best wall paper 
Civic duties — e.g., keeping the room tidy, helping one's 
neighbors 

2. Second Grade Major Project — Playing Store 

(a) FACTS TAUGHT 

Social Life and Hygiene 

Supply and demand — the dominant factor in determining 
the project " Playing store," a response to needs of 
first and second grades 
Survey of the necessities of home life, to determine the 

" minimal essentials " of stock for the store 
Division of labor in the construction, stocking, and opera- 
tion of the store 
Value of group activity 
What is expected of each member? 
How shall leaders be selected? 
Introduction to simple facts of factory production 
Where and how is cloth made ? clothing ? toys ? etc. 
How protect from disease workers in the store as well as 
patrons? 
Necessity for cleanliness 



Duties carried over into daily 
school life 



throughout 
Dusting and caring for 

stock 
Ventilation 
Conduct on shopping trips — economy of time, strength, 

money; courtesy to clerks 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 258 

How provide food for customers and clerks? — cafeteria 
How save paper, food, cotton, to help win the war? 
Thanksgiving Day 

Significance of the holiday- 
How should the day be spent? 

" How shall we show others what we have learned 
about Thanksgiving?" 
Indian study — growing out of Thanksgiving work and 
running parallel with the store project throughout 
the year 
Organization of a tribe 
Names of members 
Detailed study of life — council, etc. 
Assunpink Corn Festival — used as a unit of the pageant 

Industrial Arts (Content Side) 
[For much of the " doing " side, see skills^ page 262] 

Articles sold in stores 
Kinds of stores 

Which kind shall second grade have? Why? 
How build the store? 
Possibilities discussed 

Trips downtown for information at first hand 
General plan, in the light of discussion and trip — 
Victrola boxes 
Industries involved 

Brick laying — foundation and chimney 
Cement work — ends of boxes pebble-dashed 
Carpentering — adjusting boxes, making steps, making 

gable roof, counters, etc. 
Painting and glazing — floors, walls, windows 
Composition of paint 
Use of putty 
Papering — making and hanging border 



254 THE PEOJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Departments installed 

Possibilities and needs discussed — principle of demand 

and supply- 
Frequent trips down town 
Departments for supplying food 
Grocery * 

Fruits and vegetables — school garden work 
Cafeteria 
Departments for supplying clothing 
Dry goods 

Source and manufacture of fabrics — cotton, wool, 

silk, linen 
Arrangement of stock 
Ready-made clothing 
Patterns — need, making 
Selection of materials — review of fabrics 
Arrangements for display 
Hats and caps 

Source and manufacture of materials — raffia, silk, 
velvet, wire, crinoline, flowers, feathers, stock- 
inette 
Hat boxes 
Display of stock 
Shoes and stockings 
Study of leather 

Substitutes for " real " leather, in this case 
Making boxes 
Display of stock 
Notions 

Names of things ordinarily seen on notion counter 
Use of each 

Some brought from home, sorted, and arranged — 
pins in rows on paper, buttons, etc., on cards 

* Little was done with this, but it is a particularly rich field and 
its possibilities have been partially realized in many schools. 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 255 

Departments for supplying shelter 
Furniture 

Names of pieces needed for each room of a house 
Type or style — making designs or patterns 
Choice of wood — testing for hardness 
Ordering the wood 
Making and decorating the pieces 
Study of lumber industry — sand-table representation 
Carpet and rugs 

Kinds needed for the various rooms of first-grade 

houses 
Looms needed for rag rugs — how determine size ? 
Curtains and bedding 

Selection by each child of one or the other to be made 
Selection of material, measuring, cutting, making 
Purchase from first grade of corn silk for filling mat- 
tresses and pillows (see p. 29) 
Miscellaneous departments 
China — Indian pottery 
Art — the best work of the grade in all lines 
Books and stationery 
Number-rhyme books ] 

A B C-jingle books j "^^^^ ^°^ ^''^ ^'^^^ 
Paper, envelopes, pens, pencils 

Source and manufacture of paper 
Indian department — articles made in the playing out 

of Indian life 
Toys — Christmas work; individual problems 
Different kinds named and studied 
Indian arts 
The making of tools, utensils, weapons, costumes, bread 
and other foods, homes, canoes 

Fine Arts 
Color studies preliminary to the painting of store, outside 

and inside 
Large letters drawn and cut out for the store sign 
Stencil design for border — designed, cut, applied 



256 THE PKOJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Dressing the windows (in the store poster) — drawing, 
coloring, cutting out, and arranging the articles 
displayed from time to time 

Thanksgiving and other post cards 

Pictures drawn to illustrate many phases of Indian life 

Indian bowls — designed, modeled in clay, and decorated, 



using the Assunpink motif 



\A 



Sand-table projects 

Indian village, cotton field, sheep farm, flax field, silk- 
worm farm 
Fabric booklets — the story of cotton, wool, etc., illus- 
trated with drawings, paintings, and samples 
Catalogue of the Model Store 
Posters advertising all special sales 
Conventional designs for decorating hat boxes 
Painting the furniture made 

Decorative designs 
Art appreciation 

Study and criticism of pictures 
Illustrations for the school-made stories, and for the num- 
ber-rhyme and the A B C- jingle books 

Physical Education 
General physical activity in all phases of the store work 
Recreative games at recess 

Competitions between the employees of various depart- 
ments 
Dance of the toys 
Jack-in-the-box dance 
Indian skills — shooting, rowing, running 
Indian dances of various kinds, many school-made 
Garden activities 
Free play 

No formal exercises, except for correcting physical defects 
of structure or action 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 



267 



English 



Reading 

First readers reviewed 
(many children far be- 
low grade) 

Thanksgiving stories 

Second readers (five or six 
used) 

Indian books 
Mewanee 
Red Feather 
Hiawatha primer 

Advertisements from news- 
papers and magazines 
brought to school as the 
department represented 
was estabUshed 

Posters brought to school 
or seen along the way, 
including war and thrift 
posters 

Christmas stories 

Books brought from home 
to be searched for stories 
appropriate to various 
occasions, or to different 
phases of the business 



Stories and Poems 

Thanksgiving, Christmas, 
and other holiday stories 
told and retold 

Indian myths 

Other Indian stories 

The story of paint (school- 
made) 

Fabric stories (school- 
made), e.g., "The cot- 
ton baby speaks," 
' 'What Johnny heard 
his woolen coat say," 
' ' The silk dress spHts 
at a party," "The linen 
table-cloth surprises the 
family at dinner" 

Other school-made stories, 
e.g., "The toys' Christ- 
mas party," "The 
ready-made clothing's 
ball," "The straw hat 
and the velvet hat," 
"The quarrel of the 
shoe and the stocking," 
' ' The notion family 
goes to a dance," "The 
carpenters" (a poem) 

The elves and the shoe- 
maker 

Goody Two-shoes 

Cinderella 

The honest woman 



Language and Spelling 

Oral expression in all phases 
of school work 

Completing a story begun 
by the teacher 

Speech forms 

Keeping to the point while 
selling 

Phonetic work stressed 
since children lacked the 

' power i of self-help in 
reading 

Methods of sending orders 
or other messages — let- 
ters, telephone, tele- 
graph, agents, e.g., let- 
ters to first grade to 
announce opening of a 
department; agent sent 
to first grade to order 
com silk for filling mat- 
tresses and pillows 

Writing advertisements 
and posters as successive 
departments were opened 
— e.g., hat department 

Making out bills 

Writing of dates in letters, 
bills, advertisements of 
special sales, etc. 

Systematic spelling of 
words added to vocab- 
ulary 

Rhyme making — in pho- 
netic work; in AB C- 
jingle and number-rhyme 
books for first grade 

Writing whenever occasion 
demanded, e.g., prac- 
ticing the writing of 
rhymes made, to deter- 
mine when they might 
be transcribed in books 

T- 11 Music 

Fall songs 

Thanksgiving songs 

Rhythmic exercises — ^beating to melodies 

Indian music — the tom-tom 

Indian songs — especially lullabies 

Series of songs used in the inter-grade closing pageant 

Indian songs — school-made 

Music imitating toys — horns, whistles, rattles, etc. 

Imitations of calls — ^birds; other animals; echoes; engines, 

approaching and leaving; store calls, "cash 

girl," " Mr. Smith," " going up " 
Christmas songs 
17 



258 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Victrola selections — marionette music, etc. 
Recognition of melodies 
Singing in the general assembly 

Arithmetic 

Estimating (making comparisons, developing judgments) 
Position of Victrola boxes tO' utilize all space available 
Dimensions of box to make small second-floor depart- 
ment 
Number of bricks necessary for a foundation 
Form of space drawn on board (oblong) 
Form of brick drawn on board (oblong) 
Size of chimney in order to be in proportion to size of 

store 
Number of bricks necessary for chimney (square) 
Quantity of cement needed for filling in ends of boxes, 

brick laying, etc. 
Cost of counters 

Cost of painting and papering in the store 
Prices of all articles made for sale 

Consideration of materials, time, skill 
Amounts of things to be ordered for the store 
Counting (for various needs, frequently to verify earlier 
estimates) 
Children in grade, for distributing materials, etc. ; i to 25, 

by 2's, by 5's, etc. 
Children in first grade (customers) i to 32, by 6's (num- 
ber in each family) 
Number of departments needed in store 
Number of bricks in foundation — 21 = y, y, y 
Inches, feet (counting on rulers and yardsticks) 
Pounds, ounces (weighing cement and sand for con- 
struction work ; 16 + I ; 16 -f- 2 ; etc. 

Articles put on sale > „ , . . , 

A ^.- 1 1 J f Foundation for subtraction 

Money in cash box; pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, 

halves 
Scores (in games) counting by 2's, 3's, 4's 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 269 

Taking account of stock 

Seeds for each row in garden plot, e.g., 9 tomato seeds 

9 + 9> or 2 X 9, in two rows, etc. 
Seeds for each garden 
Measuring (for various needs, frequently to check up 
estimates) 
Victrola boxes — length, width, depth 
Various boxes — to find one of proper dimensions to 

make small second-floor department 
Foundation space to be filled in with bricks 
„ . . ( length, width, thickness 

\ finding mid-point for brick laying 
Surfaces to be painted and papered 
Windows — size, space between 
Doors — size, space on each side 
Wood — for steps, counters, furniture 
Roof — for tar paper 

Rooms in first-grade houses — to get size of rug looms 
^-inch spaces on loom frames, for placing nails 
Cardboard to make rulers — ^inches and half -inches marked 
to make containers; tags; bolts on which to 
wrap fabrics 
All fabrics (dry goods, ribbon, etc.) before, at time of, 

and after sales 
Windows — for curtains 
Beds — for mattresses 

Materials — for garments, curtains, mattresses 
Garden — plots, rows, spaces between seeds, etc. 
Ordering materials needed (English work as well as 
arithmetic) 
Victrola boxes (number and size given — 4 

each 5 ft. X 2 ft. X 2 ft.) 
Bricks — 21 for foundation 
10 for chimney 

31 
Sand (lbs oz.) {proportion 
Cement (lbs., oz.) J 

Glass for windows — 8 sheets, each 8 in. X 8 in. 
Putty — about 4 oz. for each window (8X4 = 32) 



260 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Tar paper 

Wood for steps — 3 steps, each needing 28 inches of 4-inch 
board (3 X 28 = 84; discovery of 
need for carrying) 
for counters — 2 for each room, 4 rooms 
4X2 = 8 
each counter 4 inches long 

8X4 = 32 
for furniture for 6 rooms 
for toys 
Clay for toys 
Clothing materials 
Hat boxes, e.g., 2 doz. (2 X 12 = 24) 
Hat materials, e.g., J4 doz. feathers 

3 doz. sprays of flowers 
3 yds. of ribbon 
Shoe materials 
Arranging materials — sorting, spacing; division 
Victrola boxes — 4 in 2 tiers (4-^-2 = 2) 
Bricks for foundation — 21 -^ 3 = 7 ; 14 front ; 2 rows 

14 -^ 2 = 7 
Bricks for chimney (to form hollow square, in 3 tiers) 

12 -h 3 = 4 in each tier 
Windows — 8 panes — 3 in each room on 2d floor 

2X3 — 6 
I in each room on 1st floor 
2 X I =2 
Doors — 4, interior 

I, on street 
Counters — 8 made for 4 rooms 

8 H- 4 = 2 for each room 
Shoes in boxes — 30 pairs = 60 shoes 

60 -^ 2 = 30 
Pins in papers — 2 rows; 12 in each 
Buttons on cards — 4 rows ; 6 in each 
Toys in boxes — e.g., 12 blocks in box 
Materials on counters 
Window displays 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 261 

Finding cost — of building materials and stock 
Boxes — 4 at 75 cents 
I at 5 cents 
Bricks — 31 at 2 cents 
Cement — ^20 lbs. at 3 cents 
Glass — 8 panes at 6 cents 
Tar paper — 75 cents for a remnant 
Lumber (scraps from manual training department) ; 

cost was estimated and guessed 
Dry goods and notions — donations from homes, friends, 

domestic science department 
Telegrams, e.g., 3 cents a word 
Bill making (for construction, stocking the store, and 
sales) 
Carpenter's bill 
Brick mason's bill 
Painter's and paper-hanger's bills 
Dry goods bills 
Furniture bills, etc. 
Special sales (making change emphasized) 

Rulers — ? cents apiece (according to quality of work- 
manship on them) 
Toys — ^various prices 
Dry goods — ? cents per inch 

Ready-made clothing — $-mark introduced and used 
Hats — various prices 
Shoes and stockings — ? per pair 
Notions — ? per dozen ; 3 for 5 cents ; 
? for each; 
? per box ; 
? per ball ; 
? per yard. 
Furniture (given to first grade) 

Rugs — various prices, according to material and work- 
manship 
China — (children bought their own bowls to take home 
at end of year) 



262 THE PKOJECT AS OEGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Garden produce (actual market prices for beets, beans, 
carrots, lettuce, to Normal School lunch room) 
? per bunch of 6 ; ? per box ; ? per head 

Cafeteria lunches (children found cost of food at res- 
taurants in order to determine prices) 
Telling time 

Opening and closing of store 

Special sales at certain hours 

Special sales on certain days 
Figure writing 

On advertisements 

On tags 

On bills 

On sales slips 

In solving problems 

In drills 

In scoring 
Fundamental operations 

Addition 

Subtraction 

Multiplication 

Division 

Drill — constantly given in all of the processes listed, 
either through frequent need and use of the same 
process, e.g., in making change at sales ; or by 
special exercises, after discovering a need to the 
children through an actual situation. Motiva- 
tion was inherent in this situation ; e.g., discover- 
ing salesmen, store games, lunching at the 
cafeteria, the making of number-rhyme books for 
first grade, etc. 



All shown above 



Counting 

Measuring 

Adding 

Subtracting 

Multiplying 

Dividing 



(b) SKILLS BEGUN OR CONTINUED 



in the daily life of the store 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 263 

Recalling past experiences — e.g., trips to stores 
Carrying on conversations 

Clerk and customer, " drummer " and merchant 

General discussion of projects 

Telephoning 

Indian councils 
Making sales 

Putting facts concisely — telegrams, advertisements 
Reading — oral, silent 
Story building 
Story telling 
Dramatizing 

Rhyming words (phonetics) 
Rhyme building 
Beating time to poems 
Memorizing poems 
Making simple tunes 
Enlarging vocabulary by categories, e.g., furniture words, 

notion-counter words 
Associating words with things 
Spelling 

Writing — letters, orders, etc. 
Use of capitals, punctuation, paragraphing 
Sorting — kinds of fabrics, pins, buttons, etc. 
Measuring (see Facts — ^Arithmetic, p. 259) 
Spacing 

Cutting — ^patterns, garments, mattresses, pillows, cur- 
tains, tar paper, cardboard, etc. 
Sewing carpet rags 
Weaving rugs 

Braiding (raffia) and sewing braid to form a spiral 
Sewing and fitting — garments, kid-glove shoes, mat- 
tresses, etc. 
Sawing and nailing — windows, steps, gable roof, counters, 

looms, furniture 
Sandpapering 

Painting — floors, furniture, etc. 
Laying bricks 



264 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Mixing and applying cement 

Puttying glass in windows 

Designing and cutting stencils 

Making and trimming hats 
Tying bows and knots 

Making hat boxes 

Making wooden racks for displaying garments 

Making toys (involving many skills) 

Applying design — wall-paper border, hat boxes, furniture 
Use of Crayola and paint 

Blending or combining colors 

Illustrating stories 

Digging, planting, hoeing, etc. 

Making Indian bread — shelling the corn, pounding, mix- 
ing, baking 

Making Indian weapons and implements 

Clay work — bowls, marbles, toy dishes 

Singing 

Dancing 

Originating Indian and other dances 

Handling ideas and suggestions along all lines; e.g., the 
suggestion, " How would a silk stocking feel if 
worn for a long tramp in the country ? " brought 
forth the story told on p. 89 

Making judgments along all lines ; e.g., measuring rooms 
in first-grade houses to decide how large to make 
the furniture for them 

Expressing same idea in different ways; e.g., use of the 
Assunpink motif in different designs submitted 
for decorating the Indian bowls 

Initiating new methods or ideas throughout the work; 
e^., child's suggestion that the border made to 
go around the top of the walls be used instead 
around windows to hide grease spots 

Constructive criticism of child's own work and that of 
others ; e.g., " I must make another number-rhyme 
book. No one will pay for one so dirty as this." 
" I believe John's is worth a quarter." 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 265 

(c) HABITS, ATTITUDES, IDEALS, APPRECIATIONS 

. (in counting, making change, etc. 

•' i in checking up results 
Distinct speech 
Good speech forms 

Politeness in treatment of customers, etc. 
Helping those who need or seek help 
Fairness in dealing with people 
Classification of miscellaneous articles (in stocking the 

various departments) 
Catering to customers' needs and tastes, in planning 

business 
Economy in the use of fabrics, wood, cement, etc. 
Economy in the purchase of foods at cafeteria 
Ingenuity in meeting emergencies — e.g., oil stains on wall 

from putty 
Selection of wholesome food ) „ ^ . , , , , _ 
Making food look attractive [ Cafeteria, Mothers Party 

Forming judgments — 

As to size and materials 

As to best stores in which to make certain purchases 
Getting first-hand information whenever possible 
Using real materials whenever possible 
Self-criticism, as well as kindly criticism of others 
Self-help, especially in reading 

Self-setting of standards of attainment, especially in self- 
initiated work 
Perseverance in attaining these standards 
Keeping products up to standard, especially if they are to 

be used as models 
Responsibility of leaders for keeping group work up to 

specifications 
Standards for dressing 

Selection of feathers for hats — the Audubon Society 

Appropriateness of shoes, etc., to the occasion 
Grood taste in furniture 

Establishing standards by the group, for selecting the 
best work in the group 



266 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Establishing standards for good salesmen, managers, 

shoppers (The survival of the fittest) 
Ambition to excel — 

In order to become a salesman or manager 

In order to improve one's record 
Appreciation — 

Of color harmonies (booklets) 

Of processes behind a finished article ; e.g., toys, 
garments 

Of lives of other people 

Of the progress of civilization 

2. Third Grade Major Project — Playing City 

(a) FACTS TAUGHT 

Social Life {History) and Hygiene 

Functions of a city in the lives of individuals 

Protection against disease, fire, and evil-minded people 
Individual's obligation to the city 
Organization of a civic life in the school 
Streets (aisles) 

Departments — Police, Fire, Health, Finance, Public 
Buildings, Public Affairs, Street Cleaning 
Specific duties of each 
Ways and means of running each 
Election of officers 
Cooperation 
Development of city clubs 
Appointment of a city nurse — her duties 

Acquaintance with first-aid supplies and methods 
Meaning of a representative government — decision by 
voting, as the voice of the people 
Building of the play city 

Causes of diseases in a city — e.g., necessity for cleaning 

the canals 
Need for canals in city of Trenton 
Uses made of river and creek 
Necessity for good roads 
History of the trail 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 267 

Bridge building 
Need for 
History of 
Home building 

Homes of to-day contrasted with pictures of homes 
of the past 
Evolution of homes from primitive times 
Life in the play city 

Local government — need for 
Commission type of city organization 

More detailed study of each department than in the 
organization of the school city 
City, county, and state governments contrasted 
Civic work represented by other public buildings — ^post 
office, railroad stations, reservoir, power house, 
garbage crematory, public library. State Normal 
School, city schools, banks, hotels, churches, 
theaters, armory, hospitals 
Going into business 
Victory City Times 

Organization of staff 
Pottery business 

Part played by this industry in Trenton 
Furniture making 

Candy making — sanitary and hygienic aspects 
Recreation spots out-of-doors 
Park 

Public gardens (represented by the school garden) 
Local history (introduced by the study of monuments 
in city and park) 
Part played by Trenton in the Revolution 
Study of primitive life — beginning with the making of 
the play city, and running parallel with the city 
project throughout the year. Book I of Wells* 
series " How the Present Came from the Past " 
used as a text 
Closing inter-grade pageant — " managed " by third 
grade, who presented the play suggested in the 
" Can you? " sections of the text 



268 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Industrial Arts (Content Side) 

[For much of the " doing " side, see skills, page 276] 

Organizing the school city- 
Badges for the officers 
Signposts for the streets 
Books (school-made) for the library- 
Building the play city- 
Making map of Trenton — plan of the play city 
The site 

Making the floor -waterproof 
Transferring plan to floor 
Filling in the space -with earth 
Grading the site 
Making canals, river, and creek 
Trips to see each 
Uses 

Method of making 

Making boxes for mixing the cement 
Road building 

Kinds needed in a miniature Trenton 

Trips to see all these kinds 
Study of kinds seen — dirt, gravel, macadam, -wood block, 
cobble, cement, asphalt 
Review of the composition of cement 
Sand-table samples of each 
Actual building of the play-city streets 
Bridge building 
Fixed bridges 
Wooden 
Steel 

Concrete — making the molds for these, an introduc- 
tion to the use of concrete 
Drawbridges 
Park making 

Laying out the site 

Making and placing the monuments 

Making and placing the zoo 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 269 

School-garden work 

Planning, digging, planting, caring for crops 
Harvesting 

Selling products to Normal School lunch room 
Building the homes of the play city- 
Study of homes in Trenton — general form, size, material 
Detailed study by child of his own home 
Materials used 
General form 

Placing of windows, doors, chimney, porches 
Making plan 

Building each house according to its plan 
Sand-table work, showing evolution of early houses 

(Pictures in National Geographic Magazine) 
Materials used 
Kinds of roofs, etc. 
Sand-table story of Robinson Crusoe 
Brick making and laying 
Painting of homes 
Lawns and walks, if necessary 
Erection of public buildings 

Review of brick making, concrete work, etc. 
Trip to printing establishment 

" Printing " the Victory City Times 
Pottery industry 

Trip to see Beleek ware in the making 
Making a tea set for first-grade families 
Study of clay and pottery centers in New Jersey 
Study of large pottery areas in the United States 
Lumber industry 

Plan for making a set of chairs 

Selection of lumber after a study of kinds, as to hard- 
ness, finish, etc. 
Making chairs, using screw construction 
Mapping chief lumber centers of the United States 
A lumber camp on the sand table 
The candy industry 

Study of economical recipes 
Making sugarless candy 



270 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Preparation of lemonade and cookies for Mothers' Party 
Making costumes and properties of all sorts for pageant 

Fine Arts 
Designing and coloring badges for city officers 
The city poster 

Study of form of buildings 

Measuring of buildings 

Color combinations 

Paper cutting and pasting technic 
The city calendar — each sheet suggestive of activities of 
the month 

Crayola work 

Water color (brush work) 

Cut paper designs 

Letters, printed and cut 

Figures 
Decorating the books for the city library 

Stick designing and printing 
A city symbol — designed, cut on linoleum, and used in 

newspaper heading 
Pictures of houses — brought by children ; found in Tren- 
ton library 

Beautiful exteriors, proportions, color 
Illustrations ) ^^^^^ f^^. ^^^ victory City Times 
Cartoons ) 
Designing post cards for various occasions (including 

valentines) 
Designing dishes for tea set 

Decoration for dishes 

Color scheme for decoration 
Designing chairs 
Decorating paper cups, plates, napkins — ^for Mothers' 

Party 
Making scenery for play — very large 

Separate tree studies — small; then larger copies 

Animal studies 

Bird studies 

Woods, with birds and other animals 



THE OUTCOMES OF OURRICULUMS 271 

Designing and decorating costumes for inter-grade play- 
Decorating large bowls (mortars) for use in play- 
Motifs suggested by pictures of primitive pottery- 
Decorating message sticks, and " marking " stones for 
the play 

Physical Education 

Digging, shoveling, and carrying soil for the city site 

Carrying, mixing, using cement 

Sawing, carrying, nailing lumber for canals, chairs, etc. 

Building activities 

Garden activities 

Games — inter-street contests of various kinds 

Free play 

Folk dances 

Primitive dances 

War dance 

Fire dance 

Other ceremonial dances 
Primitive initiation tests and games 
No formed exercises, except for corrective purposes 

Music 

Primitive calls 

Danger signals, calls of the hunt, calls of the clan, war 
cries, calls of rejoicing 

Street noises (imitations) 

Birds, train, bells, factory whistles, fire engines, bray- 
ing of mules, calls of hucksters, junk dealers, etc. 

A city band — vocal imitations of instruments 

Community songs for occasions 

Making Victory City Song — one stanza by each street 

Composing song for Mothers' Party ("candy" poem set to 
music) 

Composing a primitive lullaby for the pageant 

Singing in the general assembly 

Appreciation — Victrola (selected songs and orchestra 
numbers) 



272 tb:e project as organizing the curriculum 



English 



Reading 
Selections from a number 

of third readers 
Three reading clubs or- 
ganized 
Chairman for each piece 

of work 
Silent reading encour- 
aged 
Stories selected from 
"City" library (See 
Appendix, p. 320) 
Books brought by 
children from home 
Historical matter 
Dopp books 
Wells books 
Local newspapers 
Current history (in 
the wide sense) 
Stories for the hoU- 
days and special oc- 
casions 
Recipes 

Brought from home 
Cut from magazines and 
newspapers 
Three types of reading 
Informational 

City guide books 
Geographical readers 
Home geographies 
National _ Geographic 

Magazine 
The Book of Knowl- 
edge 
For one's own pleasure 
For giving information 
and pleasure to others 



Language and Spelling 

Naming the city 

Naming the school - city 
streets 

Writing Victory City poem 
(later set to music) 

Discussion of departments 
organized 

Keeping records of each 
department 

Oral and written report to 
other grades of depart- 
ment action 

Requests for family (ist 
grade) and store (2d 
grade) cooperation 

Completing story begun by 
teacher 

Filling the "school-made" 
books for library 
History of Victory City 
Original stories 
Trips 

Poems learned 
Original verses 
Jokes 

Public health work 
Other department 

records 
Report on each public 

building erected 
The Primitive Play 

Speeches (arguments for 
the erection of each pub- 
Uc building; presentation 
of tea set, etc.) 

Newspaper articles of all 
sorts 

Note writing 

A request for help 
Thanks for this help 

Ordering lumber for canals, 
etc. 

Ordering cer.ent for river 
and creek 

Descriptions of homes 
(oral) 

Constructing The Primi- 
tive Play, as history work 
progressed 

Dramatizing stories, e.g., 
Robinson Crusoe, as 
moving pictures; writing 
legend for each picture 

Speech forms 

Accurate reports of experi- 
ences and of facts read 

Writing — bills, recipes for 
candy, invitations to 
Mothers' Party, the con- 
tent of books for the 
city library, etc. 

Making a "candy" poem 

Arranging for the pageant 
as summary of the year's 
work 



Stories and Poems 
Primitive myths 
Some Greek myths 
Kipling stories 
Robinson Crusoe 
AUce in Wonderland 
Poems appropriate to seii- 

son or special occasion 
Field's "Gmghamdog and 

calico cat," etc. 
Stevenson's poems 

Review of second-gjrade 

work, with additions 

Miscellaneous short stories 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 273 



Arithmetic 

Estimating, counting, measuring, weighing, ordering 
materials 
Size of Trenton — number of inhabitants ; area (approxi- 
mately an oblong) 

Wid^h f °^ ^^^ oblong maps 

" Longer than wide." Width goes into 
length ? times 
Proportion of oblong 

How many oblongs the size of paper map can be 

placed in the oblong of oilcloth for wall map? (6) 

How many oblongs of the wall map size can be 

placed in the large oblong city-space on floor? (8) 

Filling in of floor map of play city with earth, at least 

eight inches deep 
Determining nun: jer and size of sign posts for school 
city — for play city 
Measuring wood for these two sets of sign posts 
Measuring width of rivers, creeks, canals, to determine 

length of bridges 
Determining amount of lumber to be ordered for canals, 
bridges, chairs 
Measuring lengths of lumber for the construction work 
Determining amount of cement used for roads, river, 
creek 
Weighing amount used per foot of each construction, 
to calculate cost 
Measuring length of streets, rivers, creek 
Ordering materials for these constructions 
Number of lbs. of cement at ? per lb. 
Number of lbs. of asphalt at ? per lb. 
Number of loads (boxes) of stone at ? per load 
Studying approximate proportions of homes and public 
buildings in Trenton 
18 



274 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Measuring and placing of windows, doors, and porches 
Determining length and position of new streets as needed 
Estimating number of library cards from one sheet of 

cardboard 
Measuring and ruling cards 
Library business (records of circulation ; fines) 
Number of streets (aisles) in the school ] 

city Addition 

Number of inhabitants on each street Multiplication 

Number of inhabitants in the city J 

Ordering grass seed for park in play city 
Planning and measuring school garden 

Buying seeds 
The town clock — review of second-grade work in telling 

time 



The city calendar 



Days 
7 


Weeks 
4, + days 


28 or 29 
30 
31 


4, + I day 
4, + 2 days 
4, 4- 3 days 


365 or 366 


52 



Months 
12 



Post office business 
Buying stamps 
Registering letters 
Special delivery letters 
Sending parcel post packages (weighing) 
Selling theater tickets, produce of school garden, Thrift 

Stamp Jingle Books, etc. 
Buying railroad tickets 

City department of finance — care of money from drives, 
sales, etc., involving the four fundamental 
operations 
Simple banking — sufficient to transact the city business 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 275 

Calculation of costs — 

Of refreshments for Mothers' Party — candy, lemonade, 

cookies 
Of tea set made for first grade 

Of making one chair — the whole set (lumber and labor) 
Of each piece of city construction work — filling in site, 
building roads, river, canals, bridges, homes, 
public buildings 
Paying of all public bills from the city treasury 
Drills in estimating, measuring, adding, subtracting, mul- 
tiplying, dividing, as needs became manifest 

Nature Study and Elementary Geography 

Map drawing 

Indicating directions _ 

Methods of showing rivers, canals, streets, etc. 
Study of " real " map for comparison 
Use of outline maps 

Indicating clay centers in New Jersey 
Indicating clay centers in the United States 
Indicating lumber centers in the United States 
Soil study with view to selection of material for the city 

site 
Study of configuration of land in and about Trenton 
Slopes and hills 

Term " grading " introduced 
Rivers, creeks, and canals 
Differences 

Uses — drainage, transportation 
Trips to see different forms — geographical aspect 

emphasized 
Introduction to different kinds of cement, especially 
waterproof 
Origin 

Characteristics 
Evaporation — need for refilling river and canal in 
play city 



276 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Capillary attraction 

" Up stream " } \ illustrated in slopes of canal 
" Down stream " ) ( and river 
Trips to see different kinds of roads 

Careful study of relative length and direction 

Necessity for a " crown "in construction 
The drawbridge — as illustrating the pulley 
Location of some famous bridges (pictures of bridges 

shown) 
Value and origin of city parks 

Trips to Cadwalader Park — plan studied 

Grass seed, studied, planted, cared for 
Study of flowers and vegetables 
Fixing exact location of children's homes for the play city 

A review of directions and location 

Addition of more streets to map, as well as city 

Indicating houses on map 
Trenton 

The capital of the state of New Jersey 

The county seat of Mercer 
Railroads into and out of Trenton 

Map study 

Imaginary journeys to large cities, of interest to 
children 
Placing clay and pottery centers on map 
Tree study 

On campus 

Along streets 

In parks 

Other trees from specimen or picture 
Forestry laws 

Arbor Day tree planting in Victory City (willow twigs, 
rooted in water) 

(b) SKILLS BEGUN OR CONTINUED 

Arithmetical calculations 

In making out and paying bills for construction 
e.g., the cost of paving State Street 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 277 

In transacting city business 

e.g., Post office — adding, subtracting, multiplying, 
dividing, weighing 
In selling garden produce to lunch room 
Oral expression 

Discussion of developing projects 

Argument by each child for the existence of the public 

building which he had chosen to erect 
Working out the play suggested in their primitive his- 
tory text 
Reading — oral, silent 

Pantomime as means of proving success in silent reading 
Word study 
Dramatizing — " Ulysses and the bag of winds," in the 

study of points of the compass 
Writing (neatly and accurately) 
Records of city department work 
Other books for city library 
Notes or brief letters 
Orders for materials, etc. 
Newspaper articles, etc. 
Composition — as in preceding item ; narrative, descriptive, 
dialogue 
Original poems, e.g., Thrift Stamp jingles 
Spelling, as involved in all of the above 
Measuring, sawing, nailing ; e.g., street signposts 
Using brace-and-bit, plane, screws, T-square ; e.g., in making 

set of chairs 
Making water-tight joints ; e.g., canal-troughs 
HandHng cement — ^Portland and waterproof ; e.g., river-bed, 

concrete bridge, streets 
Making roads of various types 
Making bridges 

Mechano-toy construction 
Brick making and laying 
Painting houses 
Modeling in clay ; e.g., statues 
Crayola technic ; e.g., scenery for the play 



278 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Stick printing ; e.g., decorating book covers 

Making cut and torn paper pictures 

Making maps or plans 
Locating directions 
North, south, etc. 
Northeast, southeast, etc. 

Digging, hoeing, raking, planting, weeding, in garden 

Making candy 

Preparing worker and material — cleanliness 
Use of meat-grinder 

Singing 

Making music to fit poems 

Dancing 

Handling ideas and suggestions along all fe ^.s ; e.g., " This 
sand table has been disturbed again " (during the 
lunch hour), " Let's notify the police department " 
(of the school city) 

Making judgments along all lines ; e.g., To establish relative 
size of homes and public buildings, children were 
asked, " How many homes like yours would go 
into the post office ? " 

Expressing same idea in different ways; e.g., The story of 
Robinson Crusoe was told, written in one of the 
library books, dramatized, shown in moving pic- 
tures, and worked out on the sand table 

Initiating new methods or ideas throughout the work; 
e.g.. Suggestions for making the canal so that it 
would hold " real " water 

Constructive criticism ; e.g., One child to another, " Your 
bricks won't make a good wall because they are 
so uneven. See how these straight ones stick 
together." 

(c) HABITS, ATTITUDES, APPRECIATIONS, IDEALS 

Economy 

In making and maintaining a garden 
In ordering and using materials ; e.g., wood, clay 
Methods of avoiding waste of materials 



THE OUTCOMES OF CURRICULUMS 279 

In making rather than buying ; e.g., chairs 

In cooking; e.g., sugarless candy 

In making the most of the materials at hand 

In careful expenditure of money 
Accuracy in constructive activities 

Proper proportions of cement, sand, and water for 
street building 

In determining quantities to be ordered 

In observing and describing public buildings, monu- 
ments, etc. 
Initiative 

In organizing the school city 

In constructive activities in building the play city 

In planning for various holiday events 

In developing the pageant — etc. 
Self-dependence 

In solving problems or meeting emergencies; e.g., the 
correct placing in play city of child's home street 

Earning money for one's own pleasure and to give 
pleasure to others ; e.g., selling garden produce to 
finance Mothers' Party 
Appreciation 

Of the help rendered by others 
Habit of expressing gratitude 

Of the work involved in making a book, leading to re- 
spect for books and careful handling of them 

Of the property rights of others leading to respect of 
these rights 

Of the value of hard work, growing out of working hard 
to accomplish a much desired end 
Standards established 

Of conduct for living together in cities. Only a few 
general rules laid down at first; others added as 
need arose 

Of cleanliness — ^both individual and group — especially 
in cooking 

Of helpfulness and patience in club work and other 
group activities 



280 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Of good taste 
In china decoration 
In furniture 
In homes (exterior) 
In literature 
Of efficiency in reading a story before attempting to 
share it 
Specific health habits and ideals ; e.g., personal and group 

cleanliness 
Specific civic habits and ideals 

Wholesome competition for certain civic honors 
Pride in making and maintaining a park 
Pride in the beauty of one's city — attractive houses, 
graceful as well as strong bridges, well-paved 
streets, etc. 
Recognition of merit in an individual citizen or a neigh- 
borhood group; e.g., the award of the V. C. 
banner to the boy who designed and made the draw- 
bridge; to the street in which for a whole week 
no books were overdue at the library 
Ideals of democracy 

Satisfaction with group approval as a reward of effort 
Amending one's ways in consequence of group disapproval 



APPENDIX 

CONTENTS OF "THE FAMILY BOOK" 
I. clytie's garden 
This is Clyde's garden. 
It has a house in it. 
It has flowers in it. 
Clytie was a naughty girl. 
She disobeyed her mother. 
So she was changed into a sunflower. 

2. SIMPLE SIMON 

Simple Simon met a pie-man 
Going to the fair. 

Said Simple Simon to the pie-man 
" Let me taste your .ware." 

Said the pie-man to Simple Simon, 
" Show me first your penny." 
Sajd Simple Simon to the pie-man, 
" Indeed, I have not any." 

3. PEANUTS 

Peanuts! peanuts! 
Five cents a bag ! 
Who wants to buy? 
Who wants to buy? 
Buy them now! 

PERSONNEL OF THE FAMILIES 

4. THE HEALY FAMILY 

Marian is the mother. 
Junior is the father. 
Sylvia is the big sister. 
David is the big brother. 
Elizabeth is the little sister. 
Albert is the little brother. 

281 



282 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 
5. THE MORRIS FAMILY 

Katherine is the mother. 
Theodore is the father. 
Helen is the big sister. 
Eugene is the big brother. 
Ethel is the little sister. 
John is the little brother. 

6. THE KROSNICK FAMILY 

Frances is the mother. 
Harry is the father. 
Splendora is the big sister. 
Robert is the big brother. 
Irene is the little sister. 
Charles is the little brother. 

7. THE BRADSTON FAMILY 

Margaret is the mother. 
Joseph is the father. 
Hannah is the big sister. 
Frank is the big brother. 
Elsie is the little sister. 
Evelyn is the aunt. 
Rose is the grandmother. 

8. THE HORN FAMILY 

Alice is the mother. 
John is the father. 
Mary is the big sister. 
Daniel is the big brother. 
Elizabeth is the little sister. 
Richard is the little brother. 
Elsie is the grandmother. 



APPENDIX 



289 



9. FAMILY CLUBS 

Fathers' Club 

Colors: — blue and orange 

Here is their badge: — 

Mothers' Club 

Colors : — yellow and purple 
Here is their badge: — 

Helpers' Club 

Colors: — red and green 

Here is their badge: — 




MAKING THE PLAY FAMILIES 
Note. — Dolls were made from small stockings. 

10. DOLLY^S HEAD 

Cut the foot from the leg. 
Stuff the toe with corn silk. 
This will make the head. 
Tie it with string. 
This will make the neck. 



II. DOLLYS BODY 

Stuff the rest of the foot with corn silk. 

Sew it shut. 

This will make the body. 

12. dolly's LEGS AND ARMS 

Cut the leg in half lengthwise. 

Cut each piece in half crosswise. 

Fold each piece in half lengthwise. 

Sew up the side and one end of each piece. 

Stuff each piece with corn silk. 

This will make the arms and legs. 



284 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

13. dolly's feet and hands 

Tie a string around the end of each leg. 

This will make the feet. 

Tie a string around the end of each arm. 

This will make the hands. 

Sew the legs and the arms to the body. 

14. dolly's skin 

My skin is pink, 

Dolly's skin is white. 

I want to make dolly's skin pink. 

This powder is pink. 

I'll put the powder into some water. 

Then I'll dip dolly in the pink water. 

See how pretty her skin is now ! 

15. dolly's hair 

Oh, what shall I do? 
My dolly needs hair. 
I'll save my own combings, 
And with her I'll share. 

With soap and hot water, 
I'll wash hair with care. 
Then on her head sew it. 
Hurrah for the hair ! 

16. dolly's nose 

Oh ! give me a nose, 
For — don't you see? — 
I want to smell 
That Christmas tree. 



appendix 285 

17. dolly's mouth 

Dear First Grade, 
A mouth I need 
To tell you things, 
And to eat the candy 
Which Santa brings. 
Dolly. 

18. dolly's eyes 

Dear First Grade, 
May I have eyes. 
So I may see 
All the nice things 
Santa has for me ? 
Dolly. 

19. dolly's ears 

Dear First Grade, 

I must hear all the songs 
Of Christmas so dear. 
So on each side of my head 
Please put a pink ear. 
Dolly. 

DRESSING THE DOLL FAMILIES 

20. dolly's clothes 

" Some clothes ! some clothes ! 

For we are cold," 

The dollies now all cry. 

" How can we get them. 

Can you tell?" 

" We'll make them, or we'll buy." 



286 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 
21. A LETTER 

Dear First Grade, 

Come to our store to buy. 

We are ready now to sell. 

We are selling dry goods. 

We can dress every one in your family. 

We have fine bargains. 

Second Grade. 

22. AN ANSWER 

Dear Second Grade, 

Thank you. We will come. 

First Grade. 

23. dolly's union suit 

We have made a union suit for dolly. 

First we measured dolly. 

Then we made a pattern. 

We measured the pattern. 

We bought woolen goods in the second grade. 

We put the pattern on the goods. 

We put pins in it. 

Then we cut around the pattern. 

We sewed up the seams. 

Then we put the suit on dolly. 

Now she is warm. 

24. PETTICOATS 

Mothers and sisters now must have 
Fine petticoats so new ; 
Please, Mr. Store-man, sell to me 
Muslin white and flannel blue. 

25. SHIRTS 

Now fathers dear, and brothers, too, 
New shirts must surely buy. 
So, Mr. Store-man, sell me goods 
At prices not too high. 



APPENDIX 287 

2(i. BAA, BAA, BLACK SHEEP 

Baa, baa, black sheep, 
Have you any wool? 
Yes, sir; yes, sir, 
Three bags full. 
One for my master. 
One for my dame. 
And one for the little boy 
That lives down the lane. 



27. LITTLE BOY BLUE 

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn, 

The sheep are in the meadow. 

The cows are in the corn. 

Where is the little boy that watches the sheep? 

He's under the hay stack, fast asleep. 

28. MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB 

Mary had a little lamb, 

Its fleece was white as snow. 

And everywhere that Mary went. 

The lamb was sure to go. 

29. MOTHER^S CLOTHES 

Mother must have a pretty gown, 
And don't forget her bonnet. 
A cape of red, or blue, or brown, 
With ribbons bright upon it. 

30. father's CLOTHES 

Father must have wool trousers new. 
And don't forget his belt, 
A good warm coat, a tie of blue, 
A soft hat made of felt. 



288 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 
31. THE MAKING OF MOTHER'S DRESS 

First we measure mother. 

Her dress must be 4 inches long. 

Her sleeves must be 2 inches long. 

This is our pattern. 

This is our goods. 

I must pin the pattern on the goods. 

Now I will cut around it. 

See, it is ready to be sewed. 

First, I sew up the sides. 

Then I'll baste the hem. 

Now see my pretty little stitches. 

32. A " THANK YOU " LETTER 

Dear First Grade, 

I want to thank you for the pretty dress. I wore it 
to a Valentine party. We had ice cream and candy at 
the party. j^^H^ 

33. SHOES AND STOCKINGS 

Our pink toes are cold, 

And we are too old 

Not to wear stockings and shoes. 

So father and mother, sisters and brothers. 

From these ads please help us to choose. 

34. A CONVERSATION 

Big brother says, " Please, mother dear, give me a 
pair of stockings and a pair of shoes. When can I 
have them?" 

Mother says, " You shall have shoes or stockings. 
First Grade will make them. You will have them by 
Friday, perhaps." 



APPENDIX 289 

BUILDING HOUSES FOR THE DOLL FAMILIES 

35. WAITING FOR HOMES 

Oh, see our dolls all dressed so fine, 
Upon our desks they stand. 
They're waiting now for you and me 
To build their houses grand. 

"How shall we build them?" father asks. 
" How large shall these homes be? 
Since in the families there are six. 
Shall we now on six rooms agree? " 

36. SITTING ROOM AND DINING ROOM 

Our homes must have a sitting room 
Where we our friends may meet, 
And next to it a dining room 
Where we our meals shall eat. 

37. KITCHEN 

The busiest spot in all the house 
You probably can tell, — 
The kitchen, with its pots and pans, 
Where mother cooks so well. 

38. BATHROOM 

If you should wish to wash your hands, 
Or take a good cold plunge, 
You'll find upon the bathroom racks 
Your towels, soap, and sponge. 

39. BEDROOMS 

And when your busy day is done, 
The bed, with smooth, white arms. 
Is waiting for you, clean and neat. 
To keep you from all harms. 
19 



290 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 
40. THE ATTIC 

Up underneath the roof you'll find 
The attic where we play. 
It's there we love to run and jump 
On every rainy day. 

41. THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT THE HEALYS OWN 

This is the house that the Healys own. 

This is the carpenter that built the house that the Healys 

own. 
This is the wood that the carpenter used to build the 

house that the Healys own. 
This is the pencil that marked the wood that the carpenter 

used, etc. 
This is the ruler that helped the pencil that marked the 

wood, etc. 
This is the line that was helped by the ruler that helped 

the pencil, etc. 
This is the saw that sawed the line that was helped by the 

ruler that helped the pencil, etc. 
This is the door that the saw cut out when it sawed the 

line, etc. 
This is the nail that nailed the door that the saw cut 

out, etc. 
This is the hammer that drove in the nail that nailed the 

door, etc. 

42. A LETTER TO A FORMER STUDENT TEACHER 

Dear Miss , 



We have made the windows. 

We have made the doors. 

We have made frames on the windows on the 

outside. 
On the inside of the windows we have made 

frames, too. 



APPENDIX 291 

We have made frames on the doors on the 

outside. 
On the inside of the doors we have made frames, 
too. 

Kathryn 
Splendora 
Albert 
David 
(Note. — These four children worked especially hard 
in building up this lesson, and so had the honor of sign- 
ing the letter.) 

43. GETTING PAINT 

How can we make the floors look prettier? 
How can we make the doors look prettier? 
We must paint them. 
How can we get the paint? 
Let us ask Mr. Clark for it. 

Dear Mr. Clark, 

Please give us some paint to paint the floors, the 
window and door frames, and the surbases of our houses. 
Thank you. 

First Grade. 

44. painters' song 

Painters now are we. 
Merrily we sing. 
Busy brushes flying, 
Over, back; up and down. 
Every one is trying. 

45. PAPERERS' SONG 

Paperers now are we, 
Merrily we sing. 
Busy scissors flying. 
Cut it here ; trim it there. 
Every one is trying. 



292 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

46. THE brick's story 

" Take me," says a brick. 

" I lived in the earth. 

When I was soft clay. 

Men dug me out. 

They put me into molds to make me straight. 

Then they put me into a hot fire. 

The fire baked me and made me strong and hard. 

Now I am ready for your house." 



47. THE STONE S STORY 

" Take me," says the stone. 

" I lived in the earth. 

I was part of a big, big rock. 

Men put gunpowder into the rock. 

They lighted it. 

It exploded. 

This broke the rock into pieces. 

I was one of those pieces. 

I rolled down the hill. 

Now I am ready for your house." 

48. THE cement's STORY 

" Take me," says the cement. 

" I, too, lived in the earth. 

I am made of certain kinds of rock. 

These rocks were ground into powder. 

One kind of rock had lime in it. 

It is the lime in me which makes me stick. 

It is the lime in me which makes me hard. 

I make fine houses. 

Please take me." 



APPENDIX 293 

49. THE board's story 

" Take me," says the wood. 

" I lived in the forest. 

I was one of those large, large trees. 

Men chopped me down. 

They carried me to the saw mill. 

There I was cut into pieces. 

Now I am smooth and even. 

I am called boards. 

Use me for your house." 

MAKING FURNITURE 

50. THE DINING ROOM 

" Furnish me," says the dining room. 

" I need six chairs, a large round table, and a 

sideboard. 
Won't you dress me first? " 

51. THE KITCHEN 

" Please furnish me," says the kitchen. 
" I need only a stove, a table, and a chair ; 
You have already made my sink and my tubs. 
Won't you dress me next?" 

52. THE BEDROOMS 

" What would you like to have in the bedrooms, 
mother?" asked the furniture makers. 

" I want a pretty white bed, a bureau, a comfortable 
chair, and a rug in each room," said mother. 

53. THE SITTING ROOM 

" We must have a smooth table," said father. 
" We must have six chairs for our family," said 
mother. 

" I want a bookcase for my books," said little brother. 
" Can't I have a piano? " said little sister. 



294 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

" Shall we buy the furniture? " asked big brother and 
big sister. 

'* Oh, we are all going to work very hard and make 
it," said father. 

They all worked very hard indeed, and made some 
fine furniture. 

54. THE FURNITURE DANCE 

We are all so happy and glad, 
Happy and glad, happy and glad, 
We are all so happy and glad, 
Now that we are made. 

We will make the families sing, 
Families sing, families sing. 
We will make the families sing. 
When the bills are paid. 

A THRIFT LESSON 

(Given in First Grade) 
I. Situation which gave rise to the problem 

(i) Mice eating corners of charts, paper rulers, 
etc., and nibbling at the wall paper in the houses made by 
the children, in order to get the paste. 

(2) Pieces of buttered bread discovered in a cor- 
ner of the room, behind the teacher's desk. 



n. The problem 

How shall we get rid of these pests? 



ni. Steps in solving the problem 

(i) Why get rid of the mice? 

(a) " They eat our food." 

(&) "They destroy things by their nibbling." 

(c) " They may carry disease." 

Id) " They frighten us." 



APPENDIX 295 

(2) Do mice help us in any way ? 

(Find out, since you cannot answer now.) — 
An assignment. 

(3) What do they do with the cloth, paper, and food 

which they carry away? 

(a) " They make nests." 

(b) " They feed their babies." 

(4) Are they troubling the other grades ? — An assign- 

ment. If so, perhaps we can find out how 
to help these grades. 

(5) Why are they troubling us ? 

" Mice wouldn't go where they weren't fed." 

(6) How are we feeding them? 

A decision to change the position of the 
teacher's desk had brought to light four or 
five pieces of buttered bread, hidden between 
desk and wainscot and several mouse holes 
in the wall. 

(7) How did the food get there ? 

(a) It must have been left in desks by children 
who brought too much lunch. 

(b) Mice or rats carried it away from these 
desks. 

(8) How much food should you bring to school ? 

This opened a discussion of the whole problem 
of packing and eating lunches; of food 
conservation. 

(9) What should we do with food that may be left 

from our lunches ? 
Take it home — (a) for mother to use any un- 
touched bread in pud- 
dings. 
(&) to feed to animals that 
help us. 



296 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

( lo) Whom will you help if you do this ? 

(a) Homes — Saving food : 

( 1 ) by packing smaller lunches. 

(2) by using remnants. 

(3) by feeding scraps to pets. 

(b) School — Keeping mice away, 

(c) Nation — Saving in home saves for the 

country, especially during the war 
and in the time of need follow- 
ing war. 

(d) Belgian children^ — Enough bread in that 

comer to feed a Belgian child for 
a day. 
(11) Which would you rather help to feed, the rats 
and mice, or the soldiers and the Belgian and 
Polish babies ? 

IV. The Solution (Summary, and practical outcomes of 
lesson) 

What, then, shall be done ? 

(a) Pack lunches with more care, 
{b) Make use of any remnants. 

(c) Close up all the mouse holes. 

(d) Bring traps. 

Story in connection with this work — The Pied Piper 

NUMBER RHYMES 

(A book made and illustrated for first grade. The rhymes 
were worked out by all the second-grade children. 
Each child then made his own copy and illustrated it 
as he chose. For instance, for the third rhyme one 
boy drew a group of three beds and one bed stand- 
ing alone, each holding a sleeper with his mouth 
jvide open.) 

One and one are two. 
I found some shoes, too. 



APPENDIX 

One and two are three. 
See the apples on the tree. 

One and three are four. 
Hear the people snore ! 

Two and two are four. 
See the hats from our store. 

One and four are five. 
See the bullfrogs dive. 

Three and two are five. 
My birds are still alive. 

One and five are six. 
See the yellow chicks. 

Three and three are six. 
Houses are built of bricks. 

Four and two are six 
Soldiers from Camp Dix. 

Five and two are seven. 
Four less than eleven. 

One and six are seven. 
Stars shine up in heaven. 

Three and four are seven. 
Boats sail on the Devon.* 

One and seven are eight. 
Soldiers are tall and straight. 



297 



* The children being unable to find another rhyme for seven, the 
teacher told them that there is a river in England named the Devon. 



298 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Six and two are eight. 

I caught fishes with fat bait. 

Four and four are eight. 
Too many shoes for Kate. 

Five and three are eight. 

See the lilies tall and straight. 

Six and three are nine. 

Rats are swimming in the Rhine. 

Seven and two are nine. 
See the dresses on the line. 

Five and four are nine. 

See the cats and kittens dine. 

One and eight are nine 
Children in a line. 

One and nine are ten 

See the bears near the den. 

Five and five are ten. 
See the pigs in the pen. 

Seven and three are ten. 

See the clocks that wake up men. 

Six and four are ten 
Pretty flowers in the glen. 

Eight and two are ten. 
See the bunnies in a pen. 



APPENDIX 299 

JINGLES OF AN ILLUSTRATED ABC BOOK 
(Made for First Grade by Second Grade) 

A is for Alice, 
Who likes apples red. 

B is for baby, 

Who likes to play ball. 

C is for cat, 

With its head in a can. 

D is for dog. 

Dear dollie and Dan. 

E is for Eddie, 

Who eats Easter eggs. 

F is for Fred, 

Who likes to catch fish. 

G is for grandmother. 
Who likes boys and girls. 

H is for Helen, 
Who wears a red hat. 

I is for icicles, 
Made of hard ice. 

J is for Jamie, 
Who likes good jello. 

K is for Katie, 

The queen of the king. 

L is for lily, 

That lives by the lake. 



300 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

M is for Mahlon, 

Who likes to play marbles. 

N is for Ned, 

Who drives in the nails. 

O is for Oliver, 
Who sees a big owl, 

P is for pansy. 

So pretty and purple. 

Q is for quill. 
Costing a quarter. 

R is for rat. 

See how he runs ! 

S is for sister. 

Who likes good sodas. 

T is for top, 

A bright-colored toy. 

U is for U.S.A., 

Our Uncle Sam's union. 

V is for violets. 

That grow in the valley. 

W is for Walter, 
Who sits on the wall. 

X is in box, 
Holding eggs six. 

Y is for Y.M.C.A., 
Which helps all of you. 

Z is for zebra, 
Who lives in the zoo. 



APPENDIX 301 

LETTER TO THE HEAD OF THE DOMESTIC 
ARTS DEPARTMENT 

The Training School, Trenton, N. J. 

December ii, 191 8. 

Dear Miss , 

The Second Grade are playing Department Store. 
We are stocking our clothing department for the families 
in First Grade. We need more materials. If you have 
some pieces left over, will you give them to us? We shall 
be very glad if you can help us. 

Your friends. 

Second Grade. 

WAYS OF ORDERING GOODS 

(i) By letter 

500 Monmouth St., Trenton, N. J. 

January 2y, 1919. 
The Model Department Store, 

Corner of North Clinton Avenue and Monmouth St., 
Trenton. 
Gentlemen, 

Please send me 10 inches of lace like the enclosed 
sample, one spool of white cotton, number 70, and a pack- 
age of needles, number 8. Please send a bill with the goods. 
You will find the address at the top of the page. 
Yours truly, 

Annie K. Smith. 
(Mrs. John Smith.) 
(2) By telephone 

The teacher introduced this lesson by telling the chil- 
dren that she was Mrs. Smith, and that she needed some 
more serge like that which she had bought at the Model 
Store the day before. " But see how hard it is raining, 
and I must have that serge at once, for the dressmaker is 
here to work at the skirt. What can I do about it? " 
" Telephone." 



302 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

" What is the first thing you say when you take the 
telephone receiver off the hook? " 

" Ask for a number." 

So the children set to work to choose a number for 
their store. Since the store was in second grade and had 
been established to serve the first and third grades, the 
children suggested 123G, 1230G, 2G, 22G, as appropriate 
numbers, " G " standing for " grade." " 2G " was chosen 
as the simplest. 

A brief discussion of the things Mrs. Smith must make 
up her mind about before she telephoned ran somewhat 
as follows : 

" She must know just what sort of serge she wants." 

" How can she tell this over the 'phone? " 

" Give the price." " Ask for the clerk who had waited 
on her when she bought the first lot." 

The class decided to make a story about this tele- 
phone order; so the teacher went to the board, and wrote 
each sentence as the children decided, after suggestions 
from one another, how to word it. 

" ' I need some more goods for my skirt. It is raining 
so hard, I believe I'll telephone for it.' 

" So Mrs. Smith went to the telephone and took down 
the receiver. She heard central say, ' Number, please.' 

" ' 2G,' she replied. 

" Then she heard someone in the Model Department 
Store say, ' Who is this? ' 

" ' This is Mrs. Smith, of 500 Monmouth St. May I 
speak to Mr. Brown, of the dry goods department? ' 

" Mrs. Smith waited and soon heard Mr. Brown's 
voice. 

" ' What can I do for you, Mrs. Smith? ' 

" ' Do you remember selling me 24 inches of blue serge 
yesterday? Have you more than one kind at 3 cents 
an inch ? ' 

" ' Yes, I remember the sale and am sure I know which 
piece it was. Do you need any more of it ? ' 



APPENDIX 303 

" * Yes, I ought to have lo inches more at once, and it 
is raining so hard that I do not want to come to the store.' 

" ' Very well. I'll send it up at once. Shall I charge 
it to your account? ' 

" ' Yes, thank you,' said Mrs. Smith, hanging up the 
receiver." 

(3) By telegraph 

This lesson was opened by reviewing the ways in 
which goods had been bought at the Model Store and 
asking whether there is any other way in which orders 
may be given. One of the children finally suggested 
sending a telegram. 

"Why do people send telegrams?" 

" So that the message will go quickly." 

" What must people do in order to telegraph?" 

" Pay money." 

" Suppose Mrs. Smith were in Philadelphia, what 
would it cost her to telegraph an order for her serge ? " 

No one knew this, so it was made an assignment for 
next day, when Tony reported 25 cts. for ten words, and 
3 cts. for each additional word — ^with 10 cts. war tax. 

Turning to Mrs. Smith's telephone message, the 
teacher helped the class to reduce it to these two forms — 

2991 North Ninth St., Phila., 

Feb. 10, 1919. 
Bought serge last Monday from Brown. Send 10 
inches more immediately. 

Mrs. John Smith. 

" 2991 North 9th St., Philadelphia, Jan. 29, 1919. 
" Mr. Arthur Brown, 

" The Model Department Store, 
" Trenton, N. J. 
" Send here immediately 10 inches serge like 24 inches 
bought last Monday. 

" Mrs. John Smith." 

Calculating the cost of these telegrams finished the lesson. 



304 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

RIDDLES ABOUT TOYS 

I carry a gun on my shoulder. I am brave. I beat 
the drum in the parade. I salute the captain. (A 
tin soldier.) 

When it snows the children get on me and I go down 
the hill with them. Sometimes I play a joke on the chil- 
dren. I turn over and they tumble off. (A sled.) 

I ran away from a store. I have on a dress, a hat, 
stockings and shoes. They wheel me in a baby coach. 
They put me under a Christmas tree for a little girl. Her 
name is Marian. She is to me a mother. (A doll.) 

I am a thing which goes on four wheels. Boys get on 
me and push me with their feet. (Express wagon.) 

I live in a store. The people buy me and take me 
home. They roll me and roll me. (A ball.) 

I am on the ground and the men make me go like 
this ("purring" like an automobile). Then I sail all 
around like a bird. (An aeroplane.) 

I am from the toy store. When I am in the store, 
people look at me. At other times they play with me. I 
run on wheels. I am little. (Electric train.) 

People chop me down. They put me in a house. 
They put balls on me, and pictures. The day after New 
Year's they take the balls off and put them away for the 
next year. (Christmas tree.) 

THE BOWL'S STORY 
(Made by the Second Grade for The Store Reader) 

One day I saw a lot of bowls sitting on a shelf in the 
Model Store. Some of them had pretty Indian designs 
on them. 

One sunny day a lady came in and bought two bowls. 
She took them to her home. She put the bowls on the 
parlor table and filled them with violets. 



APPENDIX 305 

Her neighbor, Mrs. Smith, came to call on her. When 
she saw the bowls, she said, " Where did you get those 
pretty bowls? Did you buy them from the Assunpink 
Indians? They look like mine. Mine were made by the 
Assunpink tribe." 

" How can you tell bowls that belong to the Assun- 
pink Indians? " asked Mrs. Davis. 

" See the creek design on them? The Assunpink tribe 
got its name from the Assunpink creek. That is their 
symbol." 

Just then the bowl fell to the floor with a loud thump. 

" Oh, dear! oh, dear! did it break? " cried Mrs. Davis. 

Mrs. Smith picked up the bowl. It was not even 
cracked. She laughed and said, " Don't worry, Mrs. 
Davis. The bowls made by the Assunpinks never break, 
for they are made very well." 



LETTER TO A FORMER STUDENT TEACHER 

Trenton, New Jersey. 

March 17, 19 19. 
Dear Miss , 

We have the store painted now. We had a big sale 
last week. We have made hats and dresses for the store. 
We have a notion counter. 

We have made an Indian village on the sand table. 
We have wigwams made out of real skin. We made 
some Indian bowls. 

We are going to have a play. We are going to have a 
dance in it, and singing, too. 

We are good workers. The teachers are very good 
to us. We have lots of fun at recess. I have good marks 
on my report. 

Yours truly, 

Benjamin Willitts. 
20 



306 THE PEOJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 
ADVERTISEMENTS 

SECOND GRADE 

FOR SALE 



Well-made Furniture 
Pretty Rugs 

At the Model Department Store 

BOWLS FOR SALE 

Attractive Bowls ! 

Decorated 

with 

Indian Symbols 

Come early and have first choice 

FRIDAY MORNING 

FOR SALE 
Silk Dresses 

Cotton Dresses 
Linen Dresses 

BARGAINS ! 
At the Model Department Store 

SPECIAL SALE 

Attractive Silk Rugs 

Braided Raffia Mats 

Friday at Eleven O'clock 

MODEL DEPARTMENT STORE 

FOR SALE 
We sell silk rugs ! 

We sell 
Braided raffia rugs ! 



COME! SEE THEM! 
The Model Department Store 



APPENDIX 307 

THIRD GRADE 
CHINA 

New Business Started 

In Third Grade 

BE SURE TO COME AND BUY! 

An Automobile Advertisement 

(used at the fair) 

MERCER AUTOMOBILE 
Best Racer in the World 

Wins Every Race 

BEST AUTOMOBILE 

EVER MADE 

in the 

U.S.A. 

BE SURE TO SEE IT ! 

Made by Third Grade 

ADMISSION $.05 

TRIPS 

(One of the books made by Third Grade for their 
city library) 

OUR trip to the library 

Third Grade decided to make a library for their city. 
We had to go to see one first, so our teacher took us to 

the public library of Trenton. Miss took one 

group and Miss took another, and we had a 

nice walk. 

The outside is white, and it has a lot of steps and big 
white pillars. The inside is divided into two big rooms, 
one for older people and one for children. 

When we got there we looked at books for a while. 
Some joined the library and took slips home for their 
parents to sign. We saw pretty pictures on the wall and 
bookcases full of books that we could take home when 
we got our cards. 



308 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING TEE CURRICULUM 
OUR TRIP TO SEE THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN TRENTON 

We went down town to see the public buildings, for 
we were going to make them to put in our city. Miss 

took one group and Miss took the other. 

Normal School girls went with tis and helped us to draw 
the buildings. 

Miss took her group to the State House. 

Miss took hers to the Court House instead. We 

all went to the First Presbyterian Church, the post office, 
the Times office, the city hall, and other buildings, too. 
We drew pictures of all of them. Then we came back to 
school to begin work on our buildings. 

OUR TRIP TO THE POTTERY 

The Third Grade went to Cook's pottery to visit it. 
We did not have to go far, for it is only a little way from 
our school. It is on North Clinton Avenue. 

This pottery is very large. It is four stories high and 
ever so long. They have a big yard where they put their 
dishes and broken pieces of pottery. 

Third Grade went to the pottery because we are mak- 
ing a tea set for the First Grade as a surprise, and we 
want it to be very nice. We thought that if we saw some 
dishes there it might help us to make ours better. 

While we were in the pottery, we saw the kilns. We 
saw them making different things, and we also saw where 
they wash the clay. It is washed in very large bins. 
When they get the clay ready, they make plates, saucers, 
cups, and all kinds of things. 

When we get our clay we are going to make a tea set 
for First Grade. Some of the children are going to make 
saucers; some are going to make cups; some of them 
pitchers; some of them plates, and several other things 
that go with the tea set. 

There is a green room where they take the dishes. 



APPENDIX 309 

Everything that is made goes to the green room before it 
is put in the kilns. When they put the dishes in the 
kilns, they make a bright fire. This bakes the dishes. 
This is done so that they will get hard and they cap be 
used without breaking. When they are done, they are 
taken out. Then they are decorated and baked again. 

PUBLIC BUILDINGS 

(One of the books made by Third Grade for their 
city library) 

THE STATE HOUSE 

The State House is a little out from the heart of the 
city. It is made of marble and it has a dome on top. 
The dome is painted gold. 

In the State House they make the state laws. These 
are made by the state legislature. 

It also has a room called the State Museum. Here 
they have stuffed animals, many kinds of money, and 
many other things. 

There is a park around the State House. People can 
go there and sit and look at the Delaware River. 

Trenton has to have the State House because Trenton 
is the capital of New Jersey. 

You may want to know what the head office in the 
State House is. It is the governor's office. Governor 
Edge is the governor. -j^^ ^ ^ 

BANK 

There is a bank on the corner of West State and 
Warren Streets. The people of Trenton put their money 
in the bank. They can take money out of the bank. They 
cash checks in the bank. The people who give checks to 
other people must be sure they have money in the bank 
to pay the amount of the checks. When people open a 
bank account, they get a bank book and a check book. 

The head of the bank is called the president. 

Jack. 



310 THE PEOJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

THE BANK 

This bank is made of white stone. People put their 
money in the bank. They also put Liberty Bonds in it. 
They may also take money out of the bank. They have 
their checks cashed there. 

People who have valuable papers or jewelry often put 

them in the bank for safe keepingf. ^ ,, ,r 

^ ^ L. M.M. 

TRENT THEATER 

The Trent Theater is on Warren Street. The people 
go to see moving pictures. There are often good plays 
there, too. 

The Trent Theater is made of brick. It is a very 
nice place. 

The people like to go to see the show. 

The ticket box woman stands in a room and sells 

the tickets, tt i /- 

Helen Cjommger. 

THE Y.W.C.A. 

The Y.W.C.A. is on Academy Street. The girls go to 
the Y.W.C.A. every Monday. The girls knit socks and 
they knit baby booties. 

There is a large gymnasium in the Y.W.C.A. where 
the girls play basket ball. Meetings are held nearly 
every night for the girls who want to go. The secretary 
has charge of this work and works hard for all the girls. 

Andrew Rosati. 

THE BARRACKS 

The Barracks is on Willow Street, just back of the Art 
School. The Barracks was used as a place of defense 
during the Revolutionary War. The Red Cross workers 
meet there now. 

There is antique furniture there. There is a bed in 
which Washington slept when passing through Trenton. 
He ^*ayed here with his regiment. 

You can see the Delaware River from the Barracks. 

W. Ellsworth Smith. 



APPENDIX 311 

THE ARMORY 

The Armory is along the canal bank. It is back of the 
City Hall. It is a large red building, made of bricks. 
Ammunition and supplies are stored here. The soldiers 
come here to drill. 

The automobile show is held here every year, and 

dances are held for the benefit of the Red Cross and the 

Liberty Loan drives. 

Marion. 

THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 

The First Presbyterian Church is on East State 
Street, not far from Broad Street. It is made out of 
cement. It is a very pretty church and has an iron fence 
across the front. The people go to church to hear the 
minister talk about the Bible. 

Trenton has to have churches because the people like 

to go there. There are many other churches in Trenton 

besides this one. 

Irving. 

THE CREMATORY 

The crematory is on Southard Street. It is used for 
burning the garbage. 

The garbage men go around the streets to get the 
garbage. Then they burn it in the crematory, and after 
the garbage is burned, the men leave it in the yard. 

Fran 

THE HIGH SCHOOL 

The High School is on the corner ot Hamilton Ave- 
nue and Chestnut Avenue. This is called the Senior 
High School. 

It is made of white stone and it has a tower. The 
tower is made of stone, too. 

In the High School there are many rooms. There are 
many pupils in the High School. 

They have a High School so that pupils will learn. 
Dr. Wetzel is the principal of this school. 

Raymond. 



312 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 
THE COURT HOUSE 

The Court House is on the corner of South Broad and 
Market Streets. In it they make Mercer County laws. 
All county affairs are taken care of there. Juries are held 
in the Court House. 

County schools and county roads and bridges are 
taken care of. The board of freeholders is the head of the 
affairs of the county. Samuel Rifkin. 

CITY HALL 

The City Hall is on East State Street. It is not far 
from the heart of Trenton. People pay their taxes and 
water rents there. 

The mayor of Trenton has his offices in the City Hall. 
The commissioners of parks and roads have offices there, 
too. All the public offices of the city are taken care of in 
this building-. 

The City Hall is a very large building. It is made of 
white stone. Horace. 

THE STATE PRISON 

The State Prison is made of brown stone. The build- 
ing takes up a whole block. It is on Third Street. There 
is an iron wall all around it. 

The criminals from all over the state are brought there. 

Burton S. 

MERCER HOSPITAL 

The Mercer Hospital is on Bellevue Avenue. It is a 
large red brick building and very pretty. 

There are doctors and nurses in it. They take care of 
the sick people. When the people are better, they go 
home. There is one superintendent, a head doctor, and a 
head nurse. 

There are many private rooms in the hospital for the 
rich and next to the rich. The people that are poor go to 
the wards and there they are taken care of. 



APPENDIX 313 

There are operating rooms in every hospital. The 
nurses are all dressed in white and so are the doctors. All 
the rooms are white and the operating room is white, too. 

Elizabeth G. Carnagy. 

THE LIBRARY 

The Library is on Academy Street. It is for the chil- 
dren to get books. It supplies all the people with books. 
Before they give the books to you, you have to have a 
card, and then you can have the book. You must pay if 
you do not have them back on time. 

The third grade has a library in the class room. Three 
children have charge of it. We have cards and every- 
thing, just like the public library. We like to take 
books home. Genevieve Clark. 

POST OFFICE 

The Post Office is on East State Street. It is run by 
the Government. They sell one-cent stamps, two-cent 
stamps, special delivery stamps. Thrift Stamps, and 
postal cards. You can also have letters registered. The 
postmaster is the head. The letters are all stamped be- 
fore the letter carriers take them away. 

Daniel. 

STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 

The State Normal School is on Clinton Avenue. The 
city needs it for the children to learn to write and read 
and to do many other things. The big people come here 
to train so they can teach the children. 

Dr. Savitz is the head of our school. He is very good 
to us. We have a very big yard to play in. We have 
balls to play with, and many other things, too. 

Marguerite. 



314 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

CITY ACCOUNTS 

(Excerpts from this volume made for the library of 
Victory City) 

Cost of Signposts 

How much must Victory City pay for its signposts? 
How many inches of wood in one post? 

Cross-piece 4 in. 

Standard + 5 in. 



9 in. in one post 
How many inches of wood in 25 signposts? 

9 
X 25 



225 in. === about 20 ft. 

How much would 20 ft. of wood cost at $.06 per ft.? 

$.06 
X 20 



$1.20 

How much shall we pay the carpenter for three hours' 
work at $.60 per hour ? ^ ^ 

X 3 



$1.80 cost of labor 
+ $1.20 cost of wood 



Cost of signposts — $3.00. 

Cost of Bridges 

How much must Victory City pay for its bridges ? 

How many bridges are there ? 

Steel bridges 2 

Cement bridges 4 

Wooden bridges 9 



APPENDIX 315 



How much did the wooden bridges cost ? 
I ft. of wood 2 in. wide costs 6 cts. 
Each bridge is 6 in. long and 4 in. wide and 
has a strip 2 in. wide along each side. 



2 strips of 2-in. wood in the floor of the bridge 
-\- 2 strips of 2-in. wood in the sides 

4 strips needed 

6 in. length of i strip 6 

X 4 

Length of 4 strips = 24 in, 
24 in. = 2 ft. (2 X 12 = 24) 

.06 
X 2 

.12 cost of wood for i bridge 



.12 
X 9 

Cost of wood for 9 bridges = $1.08 

How much did the labor cost ? 

Three hours the carpenters worked 
Fifty cts. per hour the city pays ... .50 

X 3 



Cost of labor for 9 bridges = $1.50 

$1.50 
-f $1.08 



Cost of wooden bridges = $2.58 



316 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

How much did the cement bridges cost? 
.02 for I can of cement 
.01 for 1 can of sand 
.05 for cigar-box mold 
.01 for strip of tin 

.09 cost of material for i bridge 



.09 

X 4 

.36 cost of material for 4 bridges 



How much did the labor cost? Four hours. 
$.70 per hr. the city pays 
X4 



$2.80 cost of labor for 4 bridges 
-j- .36 cost of material 



$3.16 = Cost of cement bridges 

How much did the steel bridges cost? 
(This problem was not completed.) 

Cost of the Creek 

How much did Victory City pay for its creek? 
What did the material cost ? 

12 cans of cement at 2 cts 02 

X 12 



Cost of cement = .24 
12 cans of sand at 2 cts. each + .24 



Cost of material = .48 



APPENDIX 317 

What did the labor cost? Three hours. 

$.70 cts. per hr. the city pays 
X3 

$2.10 cost of 3 hrs. work 
-|-.48 cost of material 

$2.58 = Cost of the creek 

Cost of the River 

How much did the river cost ? 

I can of cement costs 2 cts 02 

20 cans of cement were used .... X 20 

.40 for cement 

1 can of sand costs 1 ct. 
40 cans of sand were used .40 for sand 

Materials cost 80 



How much for labor ? 
70 cts. per hr. for cementing ... .70 
6 hrs. work done X 6 

Work cost $4.20 

$4.20 cost of labor 
-f- .80 cost of materials used 

$5.00 =: Cost of the river 

The City Monuments 

What was paid for the monuments in city and park? 

How many monuments are there ? 6 

How much clay to make one ? 3 balls, average.. 



318 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

What did the material cost ? 

.12 for I ball of clay 
X3 



.36 cost of clay for i monument 

•36 
X6 



Cost of clay for 6 monuments... $2.16 

How much for labor? Three hours 

$.80 per hr. the city pays for modeling 
X3 



$2.40 cost of the work on 6 monuments 
-j- $2.16 cost of the clay in 6 monuments 



$4.56 = Cost of the monuments 

Subscriptions for the Monuments 



3 people gave 


5 cts. 


3 X 


5 = 


.15 


3 people gave 


10 cts. 


3 X 


10 = 


•30 


4 people gave 


25 cts. 


4X 


25 = 


I. GO 


3 people gave 


35 cts. 


3 X 


35 = 


1.05 


3 people gave 


65 cts. 


3 X 


65 = 


1-95 


3 people gave 


85 cts. 


3 X 


85 = 


2.55 


2 people gave i 


[.15 cts. 


2 X 


1. 15 = 


2.30 



$9.30 



$9.30 subscribed for the monuments 
— $4.56 cost of the monuments 



$4.74 put into bank as a fund for repairs 
-j- $175.72 already in the bank 



$180.46 city funds 



APPENDIX 



319 



$3.00 cost of 

$2.58 cost of 

$3.16 cost of 

$2.58 cost of 

$5.00 cost of 

$4.56 cost of 

$6.10 cost of 

$5.66 cost of 

cost of 

cost of 

cost of 

cost of 

cost of 



FINAL ACCOUNT 

signposts 

wooden bridges 

cement bridges 

the creek 

the river 

the monuments 

the canals These problems not copied by the 

the roads student teachers 



the houses 
the public buildings 
the reservoir 
filling and grading 
the steel bridges 



These problems not com- 
pleted — another illus- 
tration of unfinished 
v^ork in the hands of 
student teachers 



Total cost of construction 



320 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 



BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY OF VICTORY CITY 



[list as made by the citizens] 



Number Name 

1 Wake Robin Series — Volume 3 

2 The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat 

3 The Adventures of Mr. Knocker 

4 The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad 

5 The Adventures of Grandfather Toad 

6 Gods and Heroes 

7 In Mythland 

8 Old Greek Stories 

9 In Fableland 

10 Fifty Famous Stories Retold 

11 Everyday Classics III 

12 Fairy Stories and Fables 

13 Qassic Stories 

14 Stories of Norse Gods and Heroes 

15 Merry Animal Tales 

16 Insect Life 

17 Outdoor Studies 

18 Nature Study by Months 

19 Short Stories of Our Shy Neighbors 

20 Round the Year in Myth and Song 

21 Seed Babies 

22 Cattails and Other Tales 

23 Friends and Helpers 

24 Little Flower Folks 

25 The Jungle Book 

26 Just So Stories 

27 In the Animal World 

28 White Patch 

29 The Bears of Blue River 

30 Geographical Nature Studies 

31 Geographical Reader 

32 Big People and Little People of 

Other Lands 



Author 
Hottzclaw 
Burgess 
Burgess 
Burgess 
Burgess 
Francillon 
Beckwith 
Baldwin 
Serl 

Baldwin 
Baker and 

Thomdike 
Baldwin 
McMurry, L. B. 
Klingensmith 
Bigham 
Weed 
Needham 
Boyden 
Kelly 
Holbrook 
Morley 
Howliston 
Eddy 
Pratt 
Kipling 
Kipling 
Serl 
Patri 
Major 
Payne 
Carpenter 

Shaw 



APPENDIX 



321 



33 Holland Stories 

34 From Other Lands 

35 Filippo, the Italian Boy 

36 Martha of California 

37 Lolami, the Little Cliff Dweller 

38 Children's Stories 

39 Stories of Great Americans for Little 

Americans 

40 Science Readers — I, II, III, IV, V, 

VI 

41 Household Science Readers 

42 Second and Third Readers 

43 The Progressive Course in Reading — 

Books II and HI 

44 The Progressive Road to Reading — 

Books II and III 

45 Pathways in Nature and Literature 

46 The Easy Road to Reading 

47 Readers — II and III 

48 Beacon Third Reader 

49 The Richmond Second Reader 

50 Harper's Third Reader 

51 Mathematics for Common Schools 

52 Choice Literature 

53 The Blue Bird for Children 

54 Fairy Tales and Stories 

55 Fairy Tales 

56 Robinson Crusoe 

57 Kindergarten Stories and Morning 

Talks 

58 The Horace Mann Readers, Book III 

59 Alice in Wonderland 

60 How the Present Came from the Past 

—Book I 



Smith, M. E. 

Holbrook 

Starr 

Otis 

Bayliss 

Dickens 

Eggleston 

Murche 
Longmans 
Young and Field 

Aldrich and 
Fields 

Burchill, et al 
Christy and 

Shaw 
Smith, C. J. 
Free and 

Treadwell 
Fassett 



Walsh 

Williams 

Leblanc 

Andersen 

Grimm 

Defoe 

Wiltse 

Hervey and Hix 

Carroll 

Wells 



21 



322 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

POEMS MADE IN THIRD GRADE 

THE BITTERSWEET GIRL AND THE PEANUT-BRITTLE BOY 

There jvere once a bittersweet girl 
And a peanut-brittle boy. 
They sat on the shelf as still as mice. 
And the boy to the girl was a joy. 

All at once a footstep was heard. 

" What is that? " said the boy to the girl. 

" Why that is the child that belongs to the house, 

The girl with the beautiful curl." 

" She sneaked to the shelf on tiptoe. 

She wanted a taste of our candy. 

But just as she reached to take her first bite, 

We slipped through a hole that was handy." 

Group work. 

FLOWER POEMS 

THE VIOLET 

I am a little blue violet. 
I grow in the grass so deep. 
I love the children to pick me, 
For I am so pretty and sweet. 



Lester. 



THE DAISY 

I'm a pretty little thing. 

I always come in the spring. 

I live in the meadow, deep, so deep. 

I sleep in the winter and never peep. 

Oh, see my pretty yellow head 

And hat of spotless white ! 

THE ARBUTUS 

I saw a lovely arbutus. 
It grew under leaves so deep. 
And out of its pretty pink petals, 
I smelled the perfume so sweet. 



Helen. 



Raymond. 



APPENDIX 323 



THE DANDELION 



Yellow little dandelion, 
Growing on the lawn, 
Sleeping through the long, long night, 
Waking with the dawn. 

Nicholas. 



THRIFT STAMP JINGLES 

I. Hush, little Thrift Stamp, 
Don't you cry ! 
You will help the boys, 
By and by. 

II. The rose is red. 
The violet's blue. 
I have bought Thrift Stamps. 
How about you? 

III. Little Americans, 
Do your bit, 
And help to fill 

A soldier's kit. 

IV. Buy, buy Thrift Stamps; 
Buy, buy, Bill ; 

And Uncle Sam's soldiers 
Will the Kaiser kill. 

V. Mary had a little stamp. 
Its coat was darkest green, 
And everywhere that Mary went 
That stamp was to be seen. 

VI. Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching. 
They are selling Thrift Stamps at the door. 
Oh ! let us go and buy some, 
And help to win the war. 



324 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

THE PRIMITIVE PLAY 

Characters — Mahlah, the mother 
Shoolah, the father 
Bowlah, the young son 
Weelah, the baby 

ACT I 

Scene I — The Tree Family. 

Mahlah — Oh, but I am getting hungry! Isn't it time 
to eat ? 

(Weelah cries.) 
Shoolah — Don't cry, Weelah. Bowlah is swinging from 
branch to branch. He is having a fine time. (Weelah 
stops crying. ) 

The sun is high in the sky, so it is time to eat. Come, 
Bowlah, we will go for some wild grapes, roots, and berries. 
Bowlah — I am having such a fine time up here ! But wait 
for me. I'll be down in a minute. (Bowlah comes down.) 

Don't begin to cry again, Weelah. Father and I will 
get some food for you and mother. 

(Shoolah and Bowlah go out. Mahlah sings a song 

to Weelah.) 
" Hush-a-bye, my little Weelah, 
Do not cry. Mahlah is here. 
For no harm can come to baby 
When her own Mahlah is near." 
(Bowlah now rushes in.) 
Bowlah — Oh, Mahlah, just look at these fine berries ! 

(Mahlah gives Weelah a berry.) 
Shoolah — Here are nice grapes, roots, and nuts, too. 
Now for a fine feast ! (They all sit down and eat.) 

Bowlah — To-day, as I was picking berries, a big snake 
came out of the bushes. I picked him up by the tail and 
killed him. 

(Bowlah shows how he killed the snake. Weelah 
laughs.) 



APPENDIX 325 

Shoolah — Isn't he a brave boy? 

Mahlah — Yes, that's a good way to kill a snake. 

(They continue to eat. The roar of a lion is heard. 
They all jump up and listen.) 
Shoolah — There he is ! You can see him coming through 
the bushes. 

Mahlah — Be quick ! Let us climb up a tree. 

(They do this. The big lion prowls around under 
the tree. He begins to eat the food.) 
Shoolah — Oh, see him eating our food ! 
Bowlah — Let us try to scare him off. 

(He breaks off a branch and strikes the lion on his 

back. The lion runs away.) 

Mahlah — I'm still hungry. Let us go down and finish 

our feast. We will share what the lion has left. (They eat.) 

Bowlah — Oh, father, I see a big snake over there in the 

bushes. Let me go over and kill him. 

Shoolah — No, Bowlah. Don't go yet, for I fear the lion 
is not far away, and we had better stay together. 
Bowlah — Mahlah, please tell me a story. 
Mahlah — Yes, you have been good children to-day, so I 
will tell you " How the baboons got their tails." * (She 
tells the story.) 

Scene II — Man the King of the Forest. 

Time — Early the next morning. 

(Shoolah and Mahlah awaken. They stretch and rub 
their eyes. Shoolah looks all around under the 
trees to see that there are no wild beasts near, 
before Mahlah comes down.) 
Shoolah — I hear something moving in the bushes. It 
seems to be over that way (pointing). Can you see any- 
thing, Mahlah, from up there? 

* Wells-, M. E.—How the Present Came from the Past, 
Book i, p. 103. 



326 THE PROJECT AS ORGANIZING THE CURRICULUM 

Mahlah — It's a bear! Quick! Bring some stones up 
with you. 

(Sihoolah climbs the tree and throws a huge stone at 

the bear. It hits him just between the eyes and he 

falls. Shoolah and Bowlah swing themselves to 

the ground. ) 

Bowlah — Oh, father ! The bear isn't quite dead yet. Let 

us bite him and stick our knives (sharp stones) into him. 

Shoolah — Yes, maybe that will help to kill him. 

(They bite into the bear.) 
Bowlah— Oh, isn't that good? 
Shoolah — Mahlah, come here. 

(Mahlah brings Weelah with her down the tree. She 

helps the other two to eat the bear meat, and gives 

Weelah a piece to suck. A cold wind blows over 

the forest. They all shiver.) 

Mahlah — It is getting very cold. What shall we do to 

keep ourselves warm? 

(Shoolah happens to touch the skin of the bear.) 
Shoolah — ^Oh ! How nice and warm this bear's skin feels ! 
This would be good to keep us warm. 

(They all get close to the bear.) 
Mahlah — Let us tell the rest of the people what we 
have discovered. 

(They call to all of the other tree families of that 
forest. The families come rushing in. They call 
out, " What is the matter? ") 
Shoolah — Come, rejoice with us. We have killed a bear. 
It is good to eat. Its skin will keep us warm. 
People — Three cheers for Shoolah's family ! 
Shoolah — Come, let us dance and be merry ! 

(They all dance and sing aroimd the animal's body.) 
Curtain 



VITA 



Margaret Elizabeth Wells, born at Reading, Penna., October i8, 
1879. Graduated from the Reading High School in 1897 and from the 
City Normal School in 1899. Taught in the grade schools of that city, 
1 899-1910. During that time, organized and supervised the first 
children's gardens in the city, as well as three girls' clubs, one for 
small children, one for older children, one for working girls. 

Student at Teachers College, Columbia University, February, 1910- 
June, 191 1, receiving a scholarship in June, 1910. Attended the Sum- 
mer School of Cornell University, 191 1. Taught in the Department 
of Pedagogy, State Normal School, Indiana, Penna., 1911-1912. Super- 
vised Grades III and IV, Speyer School, Teachers College, 1912-1914, 
taking courses at Teachers College during these two years. 

Having received a graduate scholarship, attended Teachers College 
during the summer session of 1914 and the year of 1914-1915, begin- 
ning work meanwhile on a series of histories: How the Present Came 
from the Past. Taught in the Training School for Teachers, Brooklyn, 
N. Y., September, 1915-February, 1916, resigning to complete the first 
two books of the series: The Seeds in Primitive Life and The Roots in 
Oriental Life, published by The Macmillan Co., 1917. 

Supervised the Primary Department of the Training School of 
the State Normal School, Warrensburg, Mo., February, 1917-August, 
1917. Assistant supervisor of practice. State Normal School, Trenton, 
N. J., 1917-1919. Studied at Teachers College, Columbia University, 
1919-1920. 

B.S. and Bachelor's diploma in Elementary Supervision, 191 1. 

A.M. and Master's diploma in Elementary Supervision, 1915. 



INDEX 



Names of authors quoted or cited appear in capitals and small 
capitals ; names of books referred to are italicized. Italic numbers indi- 
cate the chief discussion of a topic; bold- face numbers show that a 
picture is found opposite that page. 



ABC Jingle Books, 68, QS, 255, 

257 ; contents, 299 
Absences, recording, 124 
Abilities, native, atrophy of, 170- 

171 ; discovery of, 171-172 
Accuracy, 35-36, 48, 81, 90, 94, 103, 
126, 167, 238, 239, 247, 251, 
265, 277, 279 
See also Drills 
Activities, forced, see Fatigue 
Advertisements, 4, 7, 41, 68, 78, 83, 
88, 96, 124, 237, 257 
See also Posters 
Aeroplanes, 12, 13, 102, 233, 237 
"Alpha objectives," 163 
Animals, in Fair project, 5, 8, 9, 
230, 235, 238; in families, 23, 
251 ; in pageant, 131, 132, 270 
See also Menagerie; Zoo 
Appleton, L. Estelle, 140, 141, 

145 
Appreciations developed, 127, 134, 
135, 145, 148, 154, 156, 163, 
244, 256, 271 
summary of, 229, 237-239, 249 
252, 265-266, 278-280 
Arithmetic, 20, 145-155, 156, 162, 
163, 164, 165, 173, 183, 228 
ist grade, 7, 35, 36, 48, 56-57, 
94, 174, 229, 231 ; summary, 
245-247 
2d grade, 9, 11, 12, 83, 84, 85, 
86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 94, 97, 160, 
231, 232, 303; summary, 
258-262 
3d grade, 13, 103, 120, 121, 
126, 128, 236, 274, 276, 314- 
319; summary, 273-275 
See also Accuracy, Counting, 
Estimating, Measuring 



Art work, 136, 162, 164, 171 

ist grade, 5, 45-46, 52, 62- 
63, 91-92, 171-172, 235; 
summary, 243-244 
2d grade, 37, 43, 76, 78, 87, 88,' 

255 ; summary, 255, 256 
3d grade, 13, 24, in, 117, 125, 
128, 133, 236; summary, 
270-271 
See also Departments, Store — 
picture; Designing; Illustrat- 
ing stories; Industrial Arts; 
Scenery, the making of 
Asphalt, 115, 273 

See also Tar 
Assignments, 6, 9, 11, 13, 17, 18, 21, 
27-28, 38, 45-46, 56, 72, 93, lOI, 
102, 107, 122-123, 127, 165-166, 
312 
Assunpink tribe, see Indian work 
Attitudes developed, 134, 142, 145, 
148, 154, 156, 163, 167, 173 
summary of, 229, 237-239, 249- 
252, 265-266, 278-280 
Audubon Society, 87, 265 
Authority, deference to, 4, 107-109, 

238 
Automobiles, 12, 13, 45, 115, 233, 
236 

Badges, 4, 25, 26, no, 240, 243, 268, 

270, 283 
Bagley, W. C, 184, 206-207 
Band, city, 271 ; kindergarten, 43, 

244 
Banking, 274 
Bedding, 92, 255 
" Beta objectives," 163 

327 



328 



INDEX 



Bills, making out and paying, 47- 
48, 56-57, 94, 128-129, 249, 261, 
275, 313-319 

See also Making change ; Money 
Block printing, 123 

See also Stick printing 
Boats, 80, 114 
BoBBiTT, Franklin, 141, 142, 145, 

208-209; 217 
Bonds, 159, 220-221, 222 

See also Laws ; Neurones 
BoNSER, Frederick G., vii, 146, 

214-215, 217 
Book making, 24, 81, 86, 95, 11 1, 

121, 126, 256, 268, 270, 279 
Bowls, 74, 271 

See also Pottery industry 
Box construction, 49-50, 54, 55, 57, 
7Z, 116, 132, 249, 251, 260 

See also Wood 
Brace-and-bit, 50, 126, 241, 248, 

277 
Braiding, 93, 263 
Brick making and laying, 53, 54, 

57, 73-74, 118, 242, 269, 277, 292, 

319 
Bricks, use of real, yz, 74, 253, 258, 

259, 260 
Bridge building, 114, 116, 128, 134, 

267, 268, 273, 276, 277, 280, 314- 

316, 319 
Buildings, Fair, 12, 14, 234 ; home, 

see House building; public, 15, 

114, J 19-123, 129, 269, 270, 272, 

278, 308, 309-313; store, 73-78, 

74, 253, 258, 259, 260, 261, 263, 

264 
Business, going into, 19, 72-73, 
123-129, 267 

See also Departments, Store 

Cafeteria, 94, 253, 262 
Calendar, the city, iii, 270, 274 
Calls, peanut, 7, 24, 235 ; primitive, 

271 ; store, 257 ; street, 271 ; 

imitations of birds, toys, etc., 

244, 257, 271 
See also Music 
Can you?, 130, 267 



Canal construction, 102, 113-114, 
114, 128, 134, 266, 268, 271, 273, 
275, 276, 278 

Candy making, 127-128, 134, 267, 

278, 279 

Capillary attraction, 114, 276 
Cardboard work, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 
14, 63, 79, 81, 87, 96, 121, 234, 
235, 226, 259, 274 
See also Oak tag, Rulers 
Carpentering, 253 
See also Frame houses; Furni- 
ture making ; House building. 
Lumber industry ; Nailing ; 
Plane; Play furniture; Saw- 
ing ; Screws ; Tools ; T- 
square ; Wood 
Carpet rags, 93, 263 
Carrousel, see Merry-go-round 
Cartoons, 123, 270 
Cashiers, 84, 94 
Catalog of the Model Store, 86, 

256 
Cave homes, 129, 132 
Cement work, 53, 54, 57, 74, 75, 
114, 115, 118, 242, 253, 258, 261, 
264, 268, 271, 272, 272, 275, 277, 

279, 292, 314, 316, 317, 319 
Centers, clay and pottery, 124, 269, 

275, 276 ; lumber, 126, 269, 275 
Charts, reading, 6, 23, 41, 55, 61 
Child nature as determining the 

curriculum, i 
Chimney, 72, 74, 253, 258, 269 
Christmas, 44-45, 85-86, 241, 243, 
244, 245, 251, 252, 256, 257, 284- 
285 
Circle, 10, lo-ii, 39, 231, 236, 243 
Citizenship, education for, 109-110, 
148, 156, 157, 160-161, 162,230, 
237, 238, 239, 252-253, 266-267, 
279, 280 
See also Committees ; School city 
City, functions of, 105, 266 

See also Playing city 
Clay, 103 ; modeling, 5, 6, 7, 10, 14, 
53, 56, 94-95, 138, 235, 236, 
237, 260, 264, 304-305 
See also Centers; Plasticene; 
Pottery industry 



INDEX 



329 



Clothing, 147, 149, 151, 254; care 
of, 47, 88, 109 
See also Departments, Store — 
boots and shoes, dry goods, 
millinery, ready-made cloth- 
ing ; Families, Doll — dress- 
ing; Five F's 
Clubs, social, 25-27, 44, 64, 112- 
113, 239, 240, 266, 272, 283 
See also Inter-club meetings 
Clytie's garden, 6, 24, 230, 235, 

245, 281 
Cobble streets, 115 
Coloring, 5, 6, 26, 27, 43, 46, 7^, 87, 

106, 241, 243, 248, 249, 250, 
25s, 256, 264, 266, 270 

See also Crayola; Painting; 
Water colors 
Commercial museums, 38 
Committees, 4, 9, 13, 18, 172, 233 
See also Citizenship, education 
for 
Common-sense in curriculum mak- 
ing, I 
Compass, points of, 103, 277, 278 
Competition, 9, 13, 125 ; of groups, 
159 
See also Fitness; Motivation; 
Revi^ards ; Standards 
Concrete bridges, 116, 269 
Conservatives, i 
Contour map, use of, 113 
Conservation, 39, 65-66, 130, 133, 

245-263, 277 
Cooking, 6, 15, 237, 239, 278 

See also Food 
Cooperation, 123, 124, 251 ; inter- 
grade, 3, 4, 13, 15, 16-20, 27, 
32, 35, 36, 41-42, 43, 53, 60, 
64, 69, 70, 71, 74, 84, 85, 86, 
87, 88, 92-94, 95, 97, 98, 106, 

107, 109, no, 121, 122, 160, 
161, 252, 272, 295; of Normal 
and Training Schools, 7, 15, 
25, 28, 45, 81, 97, 103, 118, 126, 
186, 187, 261, 269, 301, 313; 
with local industries, 185 

See also Clubs ; Group activi- 
ties ; Inter-club meetings ; 
Pageant 



Corn silk, uses for, 29, 250, 255 
Correlations, 136, 166, 167-170, 186 
Costumes, 131, 132 
Cotton, 29, 38, Si, 84, 90, 165, 175, 

240, 241, 254 
Counters, store, 74, 82, 84, 258, 260 
Counting, 7, 8, 20, 31, 38, 245, 247, 
258-259, 273 
See also Arithmetic; Estimat- 
ing; Measuring 
Crayola, 24, 78, 94, 95, 108, in, 
131, 235, 248, 250, 264, 270, 277 
See also Coloring; Painting; 
Water Colors 
Creative work, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 19, 
29, 45, 50, 54, 75, 79, 86, 95, 
102, no, III, 113, 114, 116, 
119, 121, 124, 129, 133, 134, 
137, 144, 252 
See also Art work ; Initiating an 
idea ; Poems, original ; Sto- 
ries, original 
Creek building, see River building 
Crinoline, 42, 241, 254 
Criteria, see Standards 
Curriculum, as based on life neces- 
sities and comforts, 135, 146- 
1^7, 228 ; as a factor in educa- 
tion, I ; as worked out in 
Trenton, 3-134; an educa- 
tional recipe, 147; effects on 
teacher, 137, 179-187; guiding 
principles in the making of, 
202-228; suggested for Nor- 
mal Schools, 183-200 
See also Theses underlying this 
curriculum 
Curtains, 62, 92, 243, 255 
Cutting out pictures, etc., 5, 6, 8, 
9, 10, II, 13, 24, 36, 2>7, 46, 53, 
63, 78, 81, 87, 88, III, 117, 131, 
234, 235, 236, 237, 240, 248, 255, 
263, 270, 278 



Daily program, flexible, 30, 62, 178 
Dances, 42, 44, 69, 86, 133, 244, 
249, 256, 264, 271, 278 
See also Games 



330 



INDEX 



Departments, City — need for, io6- 
107; general features of, 109- 
iio, 123; finance, 109, no, 128, 
274; fire, 109, no; health, 107- 

108, 109, no; police, 107, 108, 

109, no, 278; public affairs, 109, 
no; public buildings and parks, 
108,110; street cleaning, 108-109, 
no, 114; streets and public im- 
provements, 115, 119. Store — 
74, 80,97, 254-255 ; expansion of, 
84; books and stationery, 95-96, 
255 ; boots and shoes, 80, 88-go, 

254, 260, 261 ; cafeteria, 94, 253, 
262; carpets and rugs, 62, pj, 

255, 261 ; china, 94-95, 255, 261, 
280 ; curtains and bedding, 92-93, 
255. 259 ; dry goods, 80-84, 254, 
259, 260, 261 ; furniture, 91-92, 
255, 261; groceries, 96-9/, 254; 
housefurnishings, 80 ; Indian, 79, 
80, 92, 94-95, 96, 255 ; millinery, 
8/-88, 254, 260, 261 ; notions, 86, 
90-91, 254, 260, 261 ; pictures, 96, 
255 ; ready-made clothing, 86-8^, 
254, 259, 260, 261 ; seeds and 
plants, 80, 96; toys and games, 
85-86, 255, 260, 261. See also 
Business, going into 

Designing, 243, 248, 264 

See also Art work 
Devices, 159, 165, 173-1^4 

See also Drills 
Dewey, John, 138, 146, 149, 150, 
151, 164, 167, 171, 177, 209-211, 
211-213, 217, 224-225 
Dewey, John and Evelyn, 158, 

211 
Difficulties, overcoming, 10, 53, 74, 
75, 76, 88, 103, 104, n5, 123 
See also Discipline; Efficiency, 
Handling suggestions ; Initiat- 
ing an idea; Organizing a 
problem 
Digestion, mental, 157, 180 
Discipline, 66, 98, n2, 775-177; 
instances of, 22, 26, 83, 106, 107, 
108 

See also Formal discipline ; Re- 
wards and punishments 



Dishes, see Pottery industry; Tea 

set 
Division of labor, see Group activi- 
ties 
DoDD, C. J., 204-205 
" Doing," 16-18, 136, 161, 173, 228, 

240, 253, 268 
Doors, 50, 241, 259, 260, 269, 274 
Dopp Books, i2g, 288 
Drainage, n3, n5, 275 

See also Grading 
Dramatization, 3, 8, n, 15, 23, 27, 

71, 85-86, 89, ii2-n3, 129, 231, 

232, 234, 235, 236, 237, 272, 277 ; 

value of, 8 
Drawbridge, 116, 268, 276 

See also Bridge building 
Dressing dolls, see Families, Doll, 

dressing 
Drill, 137, 172-175, 245, 257, 262; 
instances of, 6, 8, 12, 13, 31, 
32, 34, 35, 3^, 37, 40, 41, 42, 
48-49, 50, 55-56, 59, 61, 83, 84, 
94, 98, 121, 129, 175; fire, 109 

See also Reviews 
Drives, psychological, 166, 227; 
social, 166 ; " war drives," 109 

See also Motivation 
Drudgery, see Fatigue 
Dyeing dolls' skins, 29-30, 248 

Economic struggle, 147-148, 156, 

159, 252 
Economy, 14, 27, 28, 96, 237, 249, 
252, 265, 278-279 ; of a unify- 
ing project, 172 
See also Thrift 
Education, essential factors of, i 
Efficiency, 222-225, 297 

See also Difficulties, overcoming 
Emotions, 224 

English, training in, 8, 19, 21, 41, 
44, 83, 88, 97, 124, 136, 164, 
228, 234, 235, 236, 237, 239, 
245, 247, 248, 257, 263, 277 
summaries of subject matter, ist 
grade, 245, 281-294, 296-300; 
^d grade, 257, 301-306; jd 
grade, 272, 307-314, 320-326 



INDEX 



331 



See also Conversation; Expres- 
sion, modes of; Reading; 
Speeches 
Environment, school, 139, 147-148, 
148-IS4, 220, 227; social, 135, 
146, 149, 150, 155, 156, 159, 221- 
222 
Equipment, of the child, 140-141, 
iS4> ^77, 223, 224, 22y; of the 
school, 137, 178-179 
Estimating, 35, 247, 258, 273, 278 
See also Arithmetic; Counting; 
Measuring 
Evaporation, 1 14, 275 
Expression, modes of, 3, 8, 12, 20, 
22, 131, 237, 245, 249, 264, 278 
See also Dances, Dramatization, 
etc. 

Fabrics, 14, 86, 155, 175, 247, 248, 
254, 256, 259, 260, 263, 265 
See also Cotton; Crinoline; 
Linen; Satin; Silk; Velvet; 
Wool 

Factory production, 252 

Facts taught, analysis of, 230-234, 
239-247, 252-262, 266-276 

Families, Play — organization of, 
20-27, 239, 281-283; life of, 
27, 44-45, 62-71, 129, 132, 133, 

239, 240 

Doll — making, 27-31, 134, 239, 

240, 283-285; dressing, 31-44, 
46-49, 239, 241, 243, 285-288; 
housing, 49-64, 54, 55, 240, 
241-243, 289-294 

Animal — 23, 230, 232, 239 
Word — 95 
Family Books, 6, 8, 23-25, 29, 55, 

63 ; contents, 281-294 
Fashion Books, 37, 241, 243 
Fatigue, a result of forced activi- 
ties, 135, 142; a result of inhibi- 
tion, 220; minimized by play, 
219-220 
Feathers, 43, 87, 254, 260 

See also Audubon Society 
Fence making, 9-10, 231, 236 
Fermentation, mental, 157 



Ferris wheel, 3, 9, lO-ii, 232, 233, 

236 _ 
Fire, discovery and use of, 132, ^26 
Firesides, 154, 175 
See also Shelter 
First aid, 121, 234, 237, 239, 266 
Fitness, 7, 22, 43, 45, 52, 83, 89, 
106, 125, 169, 171, 176, 179, 
222-227, 238, 250 
See also Competition, Rewards 
and Punishment, Standards 
" Five F's," 155, 163, 175 
Flax field, 77, 256 
Flexner, a., 146, 207 
Flowers, 70; in Fair project, 5-6, 
9, 231, 235, 238; in family 
project, 64, 133, 248; in store 
project, 87, 254, 260; in city 
project, 103, 106, 108, 118, 131, 
276 
See also Nature study 
Food, 80, 147, 149, 154, 175, 248, 
254, 255, 264, 265, 270, 294-296 
See also Cafeteria; Cooking; 
Departments, Store — grocer- 
ies; Vegetables 
Forestry laws, 276 

See also Trees 
Formal discipline, i, 218-219 

See also Discipline 
Formal object lessons, 158 
Frame houses, 53, 118, 242 
See also House building 
Framing pictures, 62-63, 248 
Freedom, individual, i, 136, 170- 

171 
Froebel, 217 

Fruits, 5, 6, 9, 14-15, 231, 234, 235, 
237 
See also Nature study 
Funny Little Book, 24 
Furnishing houses, 54, 55, 59-64, 
60-61, 91-92, 242, 255, 259, 
260, 261, 263, 264 
See also Play furniture 

Games, 8, 11, 12, 27, 42, 61, 68, 69, 
85, 94, 133, 143, 222, 232, 244, 
256, 258, 271 ; varying a game, 
See also Dances ; Drills ; Play 



832 



INDEX 



Gardens, 5, 6, 14, 63-64, 65, 97, 118, 
243, 244, 247, 254, 256, 259, 262, 
264, 269, 274, 276, 278 
See also Nature study- 
Geography, 103, 156, 160, 162, 164, 
173, 183, 186, 228, 2/5-276; 
former view, 155 
Geometric forms, 243, 283 
See also Circle; Oblongs; 
Square 
Gilbert, Charles B., 206 
Glass, 75-76, 253, 259, 260 
Good Children Street, 44, 45, 53, 

54. 54, 55, 55, 63 
Government, city, 1 06-1 10, 120, 
267, 308,1312; club, 112-113; 
county and state, 120, 267, 
308, 309, 312; Indian, 79-80 
See also Discipline ; Managers 
Grading, 113, 275 
See also Drainage ; Site of play 
city 
Grand stand, 9, 10, 16, 232, 236, 274 
Grass, 46, 104, 108, 117 
Gravel roads, 115, 268 
Gravity, force of, 232 
Greek cross, 243, 283 
Ground plans, 3, 12, 102, 119, 233 

See also Maps 
Group activities, 12, 46, 63-64, 76, 
78, 80, 85-86, 1 06-1 18, III, 
117, 123, 141, 144, 159, 163, 
168, 176, 251, 252 
See also Clubs ; Cooperation, 
inter-grade ; Dramatization 
Guidance by teacher, instances of, 
4, 5, II, 17, 18, 19, 21, 27, 28, 
31,53,61,64,85,112,123,131, 
172 
See also Discipline; Motiva- 
tion ; Organizing a problem 
Gymnasium, 161-162, 165 
See also Physical education 

Habit formation, 142, 173, 220-221, 

227 
Habits developed, 134, 145, 150, 

154, 163, 173, 176; summary of, 

229, 237-238, 249-252, 265-266, 

278-280 
Hair, care of, 29-30, 68, 239 



Handling suggestions, instances 

of, 249, 264, 278 
Harris, W. T., 148-149, 155, 203- 

204 
Help, of others, lo-ii, 16-17, 18, 
19, 26, 29, 50, 68, 71, 76, 107, 
no, 119, 123, 249, 251, 252, 
265, 278, 279 ; of self, 35, 53, 
249, 251, 257, 265, 279 
See also Group activities ; Guid- 
ance by teacher 
Herbart, 217 
Hindrances in curriculum making, 

202 

History, in, 117, 118, 119, 129- 

130, 153, 156, 162, 163, 164, 165, 

^73, 175, 183, 186, 228, 266, 267 

Holiday celebrations, 70, 78-79, 95, 

97, 109, III, 126, 244, 253, 279 

See also Christmas 

Home environment as affected by 

school, 150 

House building, 49-58, 54, 55, 118- 

119, 128, 129, 134, 241-242, 

267, 269, 27s, 274, 275, 278, 279 

See also Buildings 

Hoiv the Present Came from the 

Past, 129, 267 
Hut dwellings, 129, 132 
Hygiene, 26, 35, 47, 66-67, ii4, 
222-223, 239, 240, 252, 266, 267 
See also Cooking ; Departments, 
City — health ; First aid ; Hair, 
care of ; Nurse ; Physical edu- 
cation ; Physician, municipal ; 
Sanitary fixtures 

Ideals developed, 134, 145, 154, 163, 
173, 223 ; summary of, 229, 237- 
238, 249-252, 265-266, 278-280 
Illustrating stories, 23, 51, 63, 96, 

248, 296 
Indian work, 79-80, 88, 92, 94-95, 
96, 129, 132-133, 175, 253, 255, 
256, 264, 304-305 
Individual differences, 217 
Industrial arts, 88, 155, 162, 163, 
230, 231, 232, 233, 234; sum- 
mary, 240-243, 253-255, 268- 
270 
See also Art work ; Skills 



INDEX 



333 



Industrial world, 148, 159, 252 
Initiating an idea, 3-4, 8, 16-18, 
45, 53, 63, 75, 78, 79, 238, 249, 
264, 278, 279 
See also Guidance by teacher; 
Organizing a problem 
Initiative, danger to, 76 ; place for, 

136, 154, 170-172 
Inter-club meetings, 27, 113 
See also Cooperation, inter- 
grade 
Interest, see Motivation 

Jockeys, 9, 10 

Judgments, 6, 7, 11, 14, 27, 82, 84, 

85, 125, 127, 223, 237, 239, 249, 

258, 264, 265, 266, 278 

Keatinge, M. W., 207 

Labels, 6, 9, 13, 231 
See also Posters ; Signs 

Ladies' Home Journal, 94 

Language, see English, training in 

Laws of exercise, 157, 172; of 
habit, 173, 176; of readiness 
and effect, 157 
See also Bonds ; Neurones 

Leaders, selection of, 21-22, 26, 60, 
80, 82-83, 91, 98, 109-110, 130, 
161, 168, 169, 171, 172, 217, 266 

Leather, 41, 88, 254 

Leisure, proper use of, 27, 31, 44, 
63, 64-66, 80, 96, 108, 112-113, 
121, 128, 133, 154-155, 251, 252 

Lessons, specimen, 31-32, 33-34, 
35-36, 38, 65-66, 66-68, 71-72, 
1 71-172, 294-296, 301-303 

Letter-writing, 4, 39, 48, 81, 83, 97, 
104, no, 126, 237, 250, 285, 286, 
288, 290, 291, 301, 305 

Library, general or public, 46, 116, 
121, 271, 307, 313; grade, 31, 80, 
89, 105, 111-112, 121, 124, 270, 
280, 325-332, 338-339 

Life demands as determining the 
curriculum, i 

" Life preservers," 49, 62 

Lighting system, 122 

Limitations, recognition of, 14, 41, 
62, 88, 238^ 251, 269 



Linen, 80, 81, 241, 254 
Looms, see Weaving 
Lumber industry, 92, 125-127, 164, 
255 
See also Wood 

Macadam, 115, 268 

Making change, 8, 13, 36, 84, 94, 

233, 236, 247, 261, 262 
See also Bills; Money 

Managers, 82-83, 87, 98, 122, 123, 
124, 267 

Manipulation, 86, 140, 145, 159, 223 

Maps, 102, 113, 114, 122, 124, 126, 
268, 275, 276, 278 
See Ground plans 

Maximal essentials of the curricu- 
lum, 136, 162-164 

McMuRRYj Frank M., 213-214, 
217 

Measuring, 8, 9, 11, 13, 21, 35-36, 
37, 50, 51, 54, 61, 62, 81, 128, 

234, 236, 243, 251, 25s, 259, 
273, 277 

See also Arithmetic; Counting; 
Estimating 
Mechano toys, use of, 116, 277 
Memorizing, 19, 29, 95, 232, 235, 

247, 263 
Menagerie, 5 

See also Animals 
Merry-go-round, 5, 8, 231 
Methods of teaching, 183 
Millinery opening, 43, 88, 254 
Minimal essentials, 20, 146, 154, 
160, 162-164, 173, 182, 216, 252 

See also Maximal essentials 
Modeling, see Clay modeling; 

Plasticene 
Molds, S3, 116, 268, 292 
Money, 8, 11, 13, 159, 232, 236, 258, 
279 

See also Bills, making out and 

paying ; Making change 
Monuments, 114, 1 17-1 18, 128-129, 

134, 268, 277, 317-318 
Moral development, 19, 176, 224- 

22$ 

See also Appreciations ; Atti- 
tudes; Habits; Ideals; Re- 
sponsibility 



334 



INDEX 



Mother Goose, 7, 40, 50, 66, 68, 

230, 235, 241 
Mothers' Party, 71, 97, 118, 12/- 
128, 133-134, 270, 271, 272, 275, 
279, 322 
Motif, 79, 125, 256, 271 
Motivation, 136, 151, 154, 164-16/; 
instances of, 4, 7, 12, 15, 24, 
28, 36, 43, 45, 48, 64, 69, 76, 
80, 84, 91, 96, 97, 102, 107, 117, 
118, 123, 124, 127, 129, 165, 
172, 266 
See also Competition; Drives; 
Guidance by teacher; Re- 
wards and punishments 
Mounting pictures, 5, 24, 37, 63, 
94,96 
See also Pasting 
Moving pictures, 122, 153, 200 
Music, 70, 162, 164, 229 

ist grade, 7, 44, 65, 68, 71, 235, 

244, 249 
2d grade, 11, 86, 133, 236, 257- 

258, 263 
3d grade, 128, 271, 278 
See also Calls 

Nailing, lo-ii, 14, 51, 54, 58, 61, 

75, 91, 114, 116, 244, 264, 277 
Naming, the department store, 74 
75; the club, 25-26; the play 
city, 105 ; the school-city streets, 
106, 174, 177 
National Geographic Magasine, 

269, 272 
Nature study, 7, 15, 38, 40, 55, 70, 
71, 81, 103-104, 124, 125, 126, 
127, 163, 175, 273-274, 292, 
322-323 
See also Animals ; Families, ani- 
mal; Flowers; Gardens; 
Trees 
Needs of every living individual, 

147 
Neurones, 157; discovery of con- 
nections already made, 20 
See also Bonds ; Laws 
New England Superintendents' 
Association. Report, i8go, 203, 
215, 218 



Newspaper, Victory City Times, 
83, 87, 123-124, 267, 270, 277 

Normal Schools, suggested curric- 
ulum for, 183-201 ; two-fold 
purpose, 182, 187 

Number Rhyme Books, 68, 95, 256, 
262 ; contents, 296-298 

Nurse, visiting, 68, no, 121-122, 
266 

Oak tag, 6, 23, 41 

Oblongs, 231, 232, 233, 234, 243, 
258, 273, 278 

Ordering goods, 97, 301-303 ; ma- 
terials, 126, 259, 273, 277, 278, 
279 

Organizing, a problem, 4, 9, 12-13, 
25-27, 49-51, 72-73, 80-84, loi- 
103, 169, 183, 184-185, 237, 238; 
curriculums, 135, 168-169, 228, 
230; school life, viii, 16-20, 136, 
137, 154-155, 159, 160, 170, 228, 
279 

Origin of things and customs, 129 

Originality, 136, 154, 170-172 

Outcomes of this curriculum, vii, 
229, 230-280; as compared with 
others, 229-230 

Pageant, inter-grade, 109, 129-133, 

132, 267, 270, 271, 272, 279 
Painting, 54, 56, 61, 69, 77, 91-92, 
242, 253, 255, 261, 263, 269, 
277, 291 
See also Coloring; Crayola; 
Water colors 
Pantomime, 113, 244, 277 
Paper, children's work in, 5, 6, 9, 
10, 13, 14, 24, 37, III, 130-131, 
234, 235, 236, 237, 243, 248, 
270, 278; manufacture of, 96, 
255 
See also Badges; Papering; 
Patterns ; Posters 
Papering, 52-53, 57, 76-77, 242, 

253, 258, 291 
Park making, 117-118, 126, 128, 

267, 268, 276, 280 
Pasting, 5, 24, 78, 87, 106, 235, 248, 
270 
See also Mounting ; Papering 



INDEX 



335 



Patience, 251, 279 

Pattern making, 36, 37, 39, 46, 78, 

86, 248, 254 
Peanut stand, 5, 7, 231, 235, 281 
Pearson, H. C, 207 
Pebble-dash, 53, 54, 75. 242 
Pebbles, 115 
Pediculosis, 30 
Perception cards, 28, 41, 42 
Pestalozzi, 158, 217 
Phonetics, 8, 31, 40, 95, 245,1 247, 

257, 263 
Physical education, 15, 136, 141, 
162, 164, 228 
I St grade, 8, 69, 244, 249 
2d grade, 10, 42, 257 
3d grade, 12, 271 
See also Gymnasium 
Physician, municipal, 121 
Plane, 277. See also Tools 
Plasticene, 10, 51, S6, 85, 117, 235, 
236, 243 
See also Clay modeling 
Play, free, 49, 62, 145, 223, 244, 256, 
271 ; as imitating adult activi- 
ties, 135, 143-146; a luxury or a 
necessity? 138-142, 219-220; 
means of suggesting the higher 
type of, 145 ; as organizing the 
curriculum, 135, 138-146; psy- 
chology of, 139-140, 140-142, 
157; reasons for common atti 
tude toward, 139; usual) educa- 
tional view of, 138, 219; and 
work, 161, 220 
Play activities, 139 
Play furniture, 64, 6g, 125-128, 
269, 271, 273, 27s, 277 
See also Furnishing houses 
Play instinct, 139-140 
Playing — Fair, 3-15; outcomes, 
230-239 
—families, 17-18, 20-71, 54, 55, 
133; reasons for, 150-152, 
158-159; outcomes, 239-252 
—store, 18, 31, 32, 35, 36, 3&-39, 
41, 43, 60, 62, 7i-g8, 74, 134; 
reasons for, 136, 151-152 159- 
160 ; outcomes, 252-266 



Playing— city, 16, 98-129, 114, 
186; reasons for, 152, 160; 
outcomes, 266-280 
— national and international re- 
lationships, 136, 152-154, 161, 
198-200 
— moving pictures, 122, 153, 200 
Poems, original, iii, 128, 171, 235, 
271, 276, 296-300, 322-323 
See also Rhyming lessons ; 
Stories, original 
Politeness, 31, 39, 48, 62, 65, 66, 83, 

98, 250, 252, 265, 279 
Porches, 54, 55, 55, 242, 269, 274 
Postcards, 70, 79, 95, 243, 248, 256, 
270 
See also Art work 
Post office business, 120, 267, 274, 

277, 313 
Posters, 4, 9, 12, 45-46, 68, 74, 74, 
78, 83, 87, 93, 94-95, 117, 233, 
236, 243, 256, 270, 306-307 

See also Advertisements ; Labels 
Pottery industry, 56, 79, 94, 124- 
125, 267, 269, 308-309 

See also Centers ; Clay modeling 
Practice teaching, 185-186, 200- 

201 
Preserving food, 6, 12, 14-15, 231, 

234, 237 
Price-and-sign marker, 6, 23, 41, 

87 
Primitive Hfe, 119, 129-132, 267 
Principles for teaching, viii, 20a- 

225 ; a summary, 227-228 
Printing, by children, 7, 8, 11, 13, 
24, 75, 87, 235, 270 

See also Block printing; Stick 
printing 
Private schools, 216 
Problems of education, i 
Professionalizing subject matter, 

137, 181-183 
Progressives, i 

Project method, advantages of, 
168, 170, 171 

See also Purposive activities 
Projects, many, isolated, vs. one 

unifying, viii, ill, 16&-170, 171- 

172 



336 



INDEX 



Pulley, 1 1 6, 2^6 

Puppet show, 42, 89, 252 

Purposive activities, ix, 15, 158- 
161 
See also Project method; Proj- 
ects 

Putty, 75-76, ^(i-^^, 253, 264, 265 

Race horses, 9, 10, 232, 236 

Race track, 3, 9, 10, 12, 16, 232, 

236, 238 
Racing, 10, 12, 15, 234, 235, 239, 
244 ; mental, 32, 42 ; other types 
of, 234 
Raffia, 42, 62, 93, 241, 254 
Railroads, 122, 274, 276 
Reading, 20, 145, 164, 173; pur- 
poses in, II, 15, 24, 27, 30, 31, 
44. 55, 80, 89, 112-113, 122, 
129, 156, 235, 236, 247; special 
methods, 11, 31, 32, 68, X12- 
113, 122, 173, 277 
See also English 
Refrigeration, mental, 157 
Responsibility, group, 9, 12, 25, 45, 
60-61, 78, 91 ; individual, 9, 14, 
26, 36, 51, 57. 76, 85, 92, III, 112, 
116, 119, 122, 126 
Reviews, 4, 9, 12, 13, 20, 32, 39, 54, 
62, 63, 77, 86, 118, 249, 254, 
269, 274 
See also Drills 
Rewards and punishments, 137, 
175-177; instances of, 5, 7, 8, 
9. 15, 31, 34, 36, 39, 41, 45, 49, 
52, 56, 60, 63, 94, 95, 96, 104, 
106, III, 114, 125, 127, 130, 
172, 174, 252, 280, 291 
See also Discipline; Guidance 
by teacher ; Motivation 
Rhyming lessons, 11, 2>2>, 40, 41, 
55, 59, 67, 92, 95, 247, 263, 277, 
284-285, 286, 287, 289-290, 
291, 294 
See also Poems, original 
Rhythm, 236, 244, 251, 257, 263 
Ribbon, 259, 260, 287 
Riddles, 18 ; made by 2d grade, 304 
River and creek construction, 102, 
II 3-1 14, 266, 268, 271, 273, 275, 
316-317 



Road making, 114, 115-116, 119, 
128-129, 134, 266, 268, 273, 
276, 277 
See also Streets 

Roofs, 54, 55, 73, 74, 75, 242, 259, 
269 

Rousseau, 217 

Rugs, 62, 93, 243 

Rulers, made by children, 35, 81-82 

Ruling, 234, 274 

Russell, James E., 156 

Salesmen, 32, 61, 82-83, 84, 87, 88, 

97, 262 
Sample Books, " for the trade," 81 
Sand, 103, 115, 258, 259 
Sand table, 14; ist grade, 6, 40, 

44, 50, 70, 235, 241, 243, 248; 2d 

grade, 79, 81, 92, 255, 256; 3d 

grade, 105, 107, 108, 115, 125, 

129, 268, 269, 278 
Sandpapering, 51, 61, 242, 244, 263 
Sanitary fixtures, 56, 57, 242 
Satin, 81 
Satisfaction ( satis fyingness), 165, 

173, 176, 220 
Sawing, 50, 54, 61, 69, 75, 241, 244, 

263, 277 
Scenery, the making of, 114, 130- 

131, 132, 270-271 
School as a sector of life, 154, 173 
School city, organization of, 105- 

113, 266, 268 
Schools, various types of, 215-217 
Scientific measurements of this 

curriculum, 2 ; of others, 163 
Screws, 126-127, 269, 277 
Seeds, 6, 96, 118, 132, 230, 259, 274 
Seeing America, 153, 161 
Sewing, 36, 39, 41, 62, 69, 87, 90, 

93, 237, 248, 263 
Shellac, 56, 94, 122, 125 
Shelter, 147, 149, 255 

See also Firesides ; House build- 
ing 
Shingles, 54, 242 

Side shows, ist grade, 5, 8, 231 ; 
2d grade, 9, 11, 232; 3d grade, 
13, 15, 234 

See also Dramatization 



INDEX 



337 



Signs, in Fair project, S, 8-9, 235 ; 
in store project, 75; in city- 
project, 106, 116, 117, 268, 314 
See also Labels ; Posters 

Silk, 39, 62, 81, 93, 175, 241, 254 

Silkworm farm, 81 

Site of play city, preparation of, 
103-105, 113, 114, 268, 271, 275 

Skills developed, 134, I45, 163, 164, 
173 ; summary of, 229, 234-237, 
247-249, 262-265, 276-278 

Small, Albion W., 205 

Social education, 141, 151-154, 
176-177; life, 239-240, 252-253, 
266-267; inheritance, 166; serv- 
ice, 156 

Socializing the child, 176 
See also Citizenship, education 
for 

Society, likened to a stained-glass 
window, 225-227 

Sociology, its contribution to peda- 
gogy, 20s, 222-227 

Soils, comparison of, 103, 275 

Sorting (classification), 81, 82, 
90, 248, 254, 260, 263, 265 

Special schools, 216-217 

Speeches, 18-19, 25, 27, 122-123, 
125, 130, 133, 273 
See also Conversation; Story 
telling 

Spelling, 12, 13, 106, 124, 163, J74, 

232, 236, 257, 263, 272, 277 
Square, 258, 260 

Standards established by children, 
67, 68, 91, 143, 167, 177; in- 
stances of, 14, 237 — is't grade, 5, 
17, 20, 29, 56, 171-172, 250; 2d 
grade, 9, 10, 18, 20, 60, 82, 83, 
242, 265, 266 ; 3d grade, 127, 177, 

233, 279 
Steel, 116,268 
Stenciling, 76, 255, 264 

Stick printing, 52, iii, 243, 270, 
278 

See also Block printing 
Stockinette, 42, 241, 254 
" Stocking " dolls, the making of, 

28-29, 54, 55, 283-285 
Stone, 115, 132, 231, 272, 292 



Store, see Playing store 
Store Reader, 81, 304-305 
Stories, original, 51, 57-59, 77-78, 
85, 87, 89, 96, 99-101, III, 304- 
305 
See also Poems, original 
Story telling by children, 3, 23, 27, 
42, 44, 66, 89, 113, 235, 247, 
263, 277 
See also Speeches 
Straw, 42, 241 

Streets, 31, loi, 102, 103, 106, 108- 
109, 114, 273, 274, 276, 274 
See also Road making 
Sulkies, 9, 10, 232, 236 
Supply and demand, 252, 254 

Tags, 85, 87, 94, 174, 262 
Tar, 115; tar paper, 54, 75, 104, 
105, 242, 259, 260 

See also Asphalt 
Tasks, 139, 164-165 
Tastes, development of, 5, 27, 4^, 
52, 63, 238, 239, 240, 250, 251, 
266, 280 

See also Appreciations 
Tea set, 64, 69, 124, 125, 133, 269, 

270, 275 
Telegrams, 97, 261, 263, 303 
Telephone, 97, 263, 301-303 
Telling time, 84, 262, 274 
Tents, 12, 14, 234, 237 
Thanksgiving, see Holiday cele- 
brations 
The Primitive Play, iii, 119, 129- 

133, 132, 270-271, 277, 324-326 
The Seeds in Primitive Life, 129 
Theses underlying this curriculum, 

135-138 
Thorndike, Edward L., 140, 157, 

176, 21&-221, 224 
Three R's, 135, 155, 215 
Thrift, 239, 249, 253, 294-296 

See also Economy. 
Thrift Stamp Jingle Books, 109, 

128, 274; selections from, 323 
Tickets, 234-235 ; in ist grade, 5, 

8, 231 ; in 2d grade, 9,11,232; in 

3d grade, 12, 13, 233 
Tin, 54, 116, 242 



338 



INDEX 



Tool subjects, 154, 203, 215 
See also Arithmetic; English; 
Reading ; Three R's ; Writing 
Tools, 57, 59, jj, 80, 92, 133, 212 
Tracing pictures, 5, 235 

See also Art work 
Training Schools, 185, 186; ex- 
perimental work in, 1-2, iSo- 
181 
See also Practice teaching 
Transportation, 275 
See also Aeroplanes; Automo- 
biles; Railroads; Road mak- 
ing; Streets 
Trees, 46, 92, 103, 114, 125, 126, 
131, 132, 270, 276, 293 ; Christ- 
mas, 44-45 
See also Nature study 
Tree-top dwellings, 129, 131, 132, 

324 
Trenton Fair, 3, 6, 12 
Trips, educational, 49, 70, 81, 85, 
91, III, 113, 115, 117, 121, 123, 
125, 273, 275, 307, 309 
Trouble Street, 106, 177 
T-square, 2'^7 
Tying bows and knots, 43-44, 248 

Varnishing, 51, 76, 242 
Vegetables, 6, 9, 14-13, 64, 97, 118, 

128, 231, 234, 235, 276 
Velvet, 42, 81, 241, 254 
Victory City, 105, 114 

See also Playing city 
Vocabulary, 12, 31, 34, 163, 231, 

232, 233, 237, 245, 257, 272 

Water colors, 52, 243, 270 
See also Coloring; Crayola 



Water supply, 114, 122 
Weaving, 62, 93, 255, 259, 263 
Weighing, 249, 258, 273, 274, 277 

See also Counting ; Estimating ; 
Measuring 

Windows, 51, 54, 55, 74, 75-76, 78, 

241, 259, 260, 269, 274 
Wire, 254 

Wood, children's work in, 175; 

tests for hardness, 91, 125, 

255; 1st grade, 51, 54, 57, 58- 

59, 60-61, 241-242, 244, 247, 

248, 250; 2d grade, lo-ii, 73, 

74-75, 82, 87, 91-92, 93, 253, 

25s, 258, 259, 260, 261, 265; 

3d grade, 14, 106, 114, 116, 

118, 125-126, 131, 237, 267, 

268, 269, 271, 273, 274, 275, 

277, 314, 31 5 

See also Box construction; 

Lumber industry 

Woodblock roads, 115 

Wool, 36, 40, 70, 81, 84, 93, 147, 

175, 241, 254; felt, 42 
Work-levels, 10, 141, 161 
World's Fair, 154, 161 
Writing, 20, 145, 156, 164, 173, 
228; ist grade, 9, 23, 39, 235, 
245, 248; 2d grade, 86, 94, 96, 
232, 236, 257, 262, 263, 277; 3d 
grade, 106, iii, 237, 272 

Year's trip around the world, 153, 
161 

Zoo, 117, 268, 300 
See also Animals 



